BY TONY BARTELME
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A fire broke out Saturday night in an office on the eighth floor of the Medical University of South Carolina, causing firefighters and police to converge on the medical complex.
The hospital’s sprinkler system doused the fire, but smoke filled several rooms. Hospital officials relocated about 30 patients to other areas of the hospital.
The fire started in a wing that was being renovated, said Sarah King, director of public relations for MUSC. She said the fire began in what used to be an office.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, said Mark Ruppel, public information officer for the Charleston Fire Department.
The fire department received the alarm at 6:32 p.m. Two engines and a ladder truck arrived two minutes later, Ruppel said.
“Once they saw it was an actual fire, they called for a full response,” he said.
Five engines, two ladders, police and Charleston County Emergency Medical Services vehicles arrived soon after. Crews used exhaust fans to remove the smoke.
King said cleanup crews were at the hospital Saturday night addressing the water damage, and that patients would be moved back to their rooms today.
