A patient who was in Wexford General Hospital when a fire broke out at the facility yesterday has paid tribute to the “amazing” hospital staff for keeping patients calm as the hospital was evacuated.
Sabrina Kehoe, who lives in Riverchapel, Co Wexford, had been admitted to hospital last Tuesday with viral meningitis, and was due to be discharged on Friday.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Ms Kehoe described the “surreal” situation of waiting in the hospital corridor after learning there had been a fire on the hospital campus.
“You could smell smoke and the alarms were going off. Then the power went out, so we had no power in our ward, we moved out into the corridor” he said.
“We had to keep the windows and doors closed for the fumes. The nurses were amazing, making sure we were okay, you were trying to stay calm,” she said.
“It’s not something you think or expect going into hospital ... If the staff weren’t as brilliant as they were we would have been more panicked,” Ms Kehoe said.
The atmosphere among patients waiting in the ward corridor was “a bit panicky”, as they waited for news about what was happening, she said.
“It was very hot, I got a headache and I was allowed to go back in and lie on my bed. The nurses were great they kept checking on me to see I was alright,” she said.
“I was one of the lucky ones, we were in an area that wasn’t near the fire ... There was a few of us chatting trying to keep our minds occupied,” she said.
She had told her husband what was happening, but as videos and pictures of smoke billowing from the hospital began to circulate on social media she got a worried call from him, asking if she was safe. “He was panicked,” she said.
As staff worked to clear the hospital Ms Kehoe said she was brought out in a wheelchair by a porter. The man had been off duty this week, but came into work to help when he heard news of the fire, she said.
Ms Kehoe was taken by coach with a number of other patients and transferred to St Vincent’s hospital in Dublin, arriving shortly after midnight.
The family have four children, aged 16, 13, 11 and three. “For the 11-year-old it was a big thing for him to know I was out and safe,” she said.
The fire in the 280-bed hospital had been declared a “major emergency”, but officials reported there had been no injuries following the evacuation.
Hospital management are hoping to decide later today whether it will be possible to reopen next week, and what level of services will be offered.
