A fire at a leading cancer hospital in London yesterday forced a total evacuation of the building.
The top floor of the Royal Marsden Hospital in southwest London was gutted, and 79 inpatients and dozens of outpatients were taken to neighbouring hospitals and churches.
More than 800 staff, some still dressed in surgical scrubs, were also evacuated. Streets surrounding the hospital were shut to allow firefighters to tackle the fire in southwest London.
Firefighters who battled the blaze at the Royal Marsden hospital meet the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown
Two patients were evacuated mid-way through their operations, and a third was moved just after their procedure.
Two firefighters and one patient were taken to another hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. No other patients were injured.
Royal Marsden, founded in 1851, was the first in the world dedicated to cancer treatment and research into the causes of cancer.