Five People Suffer Smoke Inhalation
Transferred to Emergency Room
A fire broke out in an operating room at Chosun University Hospital in Gwangju, causing patients and medical staff to evacuate.
According to the Gwangju Fire Department and other sources on July 14, a report was received at around 8:12 a.m. that a fire had started in operating room number 7 on the third floor of the new building at Chosun University Hospital, located in Hak-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju.
The fire was extinguished internally by medical staff using fire extinguishers and indoor fire hydrants at the hospital within about 10 minutes of the report being made.
Smoke from the fire, which burned the inside of the operating room, caused five people to inhale smoke and be transferred to the emergency room. A preliminary tally shows that a total of 40 people, including patients and medical staff, evacuated on their own.
No casualties occurred, as no surgery was being performed in the operating room at the time.
The fire authorities believe the fire started from an electrical outlet inside the operating room. After completing ventilation work, they plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire and other details.
The hospital has suspended operation of the operating rooms until safety inspections are completed and is considering whether to transfer patients to other hospitals.
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