A fire that erupted yesterday morning at Northwell Glen Cove Hospital on Long Island caused a temporary shutdown of its emergency department, officials from the hospital said. This blaze comes merely one month after another fire incident at the same facility, according to ABC 7 New York.
Flames were reported just after 11 a.m., with fire crews responding to the scene to address the fire that was primarily located in the roof area of the hospital. The situation was brought under control approximately an hour later, and the emergency department was expected to reopen in eight hours. However, the hospital resumed emergency services earlier than anticipated, around 3:50 p.m. as reported by News 12 Long Island.
No injuries were reported among patients or fire personnel during the incident. A Northwell Health spokesperson disclosed that seven individuals were escorted from the emergency department to other sections of the hospital due to the onset of fire and smoke. The relocation was a precautionary measure while the firefighters addressed the conflagration.
Kerri Scanlon, president of Glen Cove Hospital, mentioned that "we have a situation where we do generator evaluations – so, at this juncture, right now, we’re just looking that," during an interview with News 12 Long Island, hinting at possible causes of the fire, but no official cause has been determined. Last month’s fire, attributed to overheated generator exhaust pipes, thankfully also resulted in no injuries.
Fire Marshal's office in coordination with hospital personnel, are currently assessing the extent of fire and water damage, particularly to the walls in an emergency room reaching up to the roof. Hospital operations, for the time being, have resumed as normal, with full access to emergency and other medical services restored for the residents of Nassau County.
