- Author
- Routley, J. G. | Bush, R.
- Title
- Hospital Fire Kills Four Patients Southside Regional Medical Center, Petesburg, Virginia, December 31, 1994. USFA Fire Investigation Technical Report Series.
- Coporate
- TriData Corp., Arlington, VA
- Sponsor
- Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC
- Report
- Report 080, 1994, 44 p.
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM: U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), 16825 South Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, MD 21727. Telephone: 301-447-1000. Website: http://www.usfa.fema.gov
- Contract
- EMW-94-C-4423
- Keywords
- fire investigations | hospitals | fire fatalities | patients | smoking | effectiveness | sprinkler systems | smoke | evacuation | fire alarm systems | codes | smoke control | fire suppression | response time
- Identifiers
- smoking in bed; compartmentation effectiveness; leadage of 100% oxygen into room of origin; smoke control doors
- Abstract
- On December 31, 1994, a New Year's Eve fire at the Southside Regional Medical Center (SRMC) in Petersburg, Virginia, killed four patients and injured three firefighters and several nurses. The fire was the worst in terms of number of lives lost in a single incident in Petersburg in recent memory. The fire originated in a patient room on the fourth floor of the hospital shortly after 9 p.m. Local investigators believe that smoking materials were involved in the ignition and that the fire resulted from the patient's actions. They could not determine if the actions which caused the fire were accidental or intentional. The fire grew rapidly due partly to the fuel load in the fire room. A nurse discovered the fire but was unable to extinguish it. The fire was contained to the room of origin with slight extension into the adjacent corridor.