Cigarette sparks alert at hospital

Fire crews from Humberside Fire and Rescue were called to Hull Royal Hospital following reports of a fire and smoke in the acute admissions ward.

In total, 20 firefighters rushed to the hospital on Anlaby Road, just outside Hull city centre, to help evacuate patients.

The alarm was raised when smoke filled the acute admissions ward, located in a four-storey building containing the hospital's A&E department, the high dependency unit, radiology department, operating theatres and most of the hospital's outpatient facilities.

The building is connected to the 13-storey tower block housing most of the hospital wards.

Volunteers from St John Ambulance helped move the affected patients.

Fire officers discovered the source of the fire was a discarded cigarette which had set alight leaves and rubbish outside the A&E department.

A Humberside Fire and Rescue spokesman confirmed one ward was evacuated.

He said: "Somebody had been outside for a cigarette and thrown away the still smouldering butt. It landed in a gully close to the hospital wall and set light to rubbish and leaves.

"Wind blew the smoke from the very small fire into a duct and into the hospital air conditioning system, from where it was blown into the acute ward."