Cleaning robot in SGH ward catches fire, patients evacuated
There were no injuries and most patients returned to the ward in about two hours.
A signboard at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) compound. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: Patients in a ward at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) were evacuated on Monday night (Jul 8) after a fire broke out near the room.
A cleaning robot had caught fire while charging, setting off the fire alarm in ward 76 at about 7pm.
“The sprinkler was activated, and our response team was promptly activated, in accordance (with) our fire safety plan. Our fire warden went on site and the fire was already extinguished,” SGH said in a Facebook post on Monday.
As a precaution, patients in ward 76 were moved to other ward areas due to the smoke. There were no injuries from the incident and most of the patients returned to the ward by 9pm.
"Patient care remains uninterrupted, with contingency plans in place to accommodate any temporary disruptions. We apologise for any anxiety or inconvenience caused," the hospital added.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to the incident at 7.05pm, adding that the fire involved a "cleaning machine" in a room at level six. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
