Fire at Kraków hospital forces evacuation of 38 patients, 10 hurt
A blaze on the tenth floor of a specialist hospital in Kraków sent smoke through a ward, injuring ten people overnight.
Also in:Polski
A fire broke out on the tenth floor of the Ludwik Rydygier Specialist Hospital in Kraków in the early hours of Tuesday, forcing an evacuation of 38 patients, regional fire brigade spokesman Captain Hubert Ciepły said.
Emergency services received the first report of the fire shortly before 01:00 local time, Ciepły said. The blaze started in a patients' room of about 20 square metres on the hospital's internal medicine ward.
Nurses on duty noticed smoke and began moving patients into the corridor on their own, rolling around ten beds out of the room, before firefighters arrived and took over the evacuation, Ciepły said. In total, 38 patients were moved out of the affected ward and taken to other parts of the hospital.
Ten people, including patients and hospital staff, were taken to emergency departments with symptoms of carbon monoxide and smoke poisoning, according to local media reports citing fire service officials.
Firefighters, using 14 engines and more than 50 personnel, brought the fire under control and extinguished it by 01:22, about 40 minutes after the first report, Ciepły said. Crews were then ventilating the building, and the hospital said there was no danger to other wards.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. The hospital's director and technical staff were at the scene along with police, and a prosecutor may also become involved in the investigation, according to local media.
What we know
- 1 outlet · Onet Wiadomości Fire broke out on the 10th floor of Ludwik Rydygier Specialist Hospital in Kraków in the early hours of Tuesday.
- 1 outlet · Onet Wiadomości 38 patients were evacuated from the affected ward to other parts of the hospital.
- 1 outlet · Interia Fakty 10 people, including patients and staff, were treated for smoke and carbon monoxide poisoning.
- 1 outlet · Onet Wiadomości The fire was extinguished about 40 minutes after it was reported; its cause is under investigation.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The fire tested the hospital's evacuation plans in the middle of the night, with nurses moving bedridden patients out of a smoke-filled ward before firefighters arrived. Ten people, including staff who helped with the evacuation, needed hospital treatment themselves for smoke and carbon monoxide poisoning, showing the risks medical staff face when a fire breaks out in a ward most patients cannot leave unaided. The scale of the response, with 14 fire engines and more than 50 firefighters sent to a single hospital ward, reflects how seriously Polish emergency services treat fires in buildings full of people who cannot evacuate quickly on their own. All 38 evacuated patients were moved to other departments within the same hospital rather than sent elsewhere, local media reported, suggesting the rest of the building was not affected by the smoke.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- Onet Wiadomości: Nocny pożar w szpitalu w Krakowie. Ewakuowano pacjentów
- Interia Fakty: Pożar w krakowskim szpitalu. Wielka ewakuacja, doszło do zatrucia dymem
- Polsat News: Pożar w szpitalu w Krakowie. Pielęgniarki musiały ewakuować pacjentów, są poszkodowani
- Gazeta.pl: Pożar w szpitalu w Krakowie. Pielęgniarki ewakuowały pacjentw
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Questions and answers
- How many patients were evacuated from the Kraków hospital fire?
- Thirty-eight patients were evacuated from the affected ward at Ludwik Rydygier Specialist Hospital, according to fire service officials.
- How many people were injured?
- Ten people, including patients and hospital staff, were treated for carbon monoxide and smoke poisoning.
- What caused the fire?
- The cause has not yet been established; police and hospital officials are investigating.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.