Fire at Morton Plant Hospital

Saturday, December 3, 2005

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Clearwater Fire Rescue responded to the two-alarm blaze.

It was a busy day for rescue crews across the Bay area as fires erupted in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

On Saturday, Clearwater Fire Rescue and Progress Energy crews were called to a two-alarm blaze at Morton Plant Hospital.

According to Clearwater Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Marshal Steve Strong, an electrician was doing some work in a portion of the hospital where construction was taking place when he hit a live wire. That created a flash fire, which is a quick explosion. However, Strong said that did not create a working fire inside the hospital.

"It's basically the flash fire," Strong said. "It self-extinguishes."

However, the smoke spread through the air handler to the fourth floor, where patients were evacuated.

"We had to move about 20 patients to another area of the hospital," Morton Plant spokesperson Amy Morrow said.

The electrician involved was treated in the emergency room. There is no word about his condition.