Coventry hospital fire: Wards evacuated as firefighters race to tackle blaze

Eight fire engines with around 40 firefighters sent to scene

Footage on Twitter showed black smoke rising from part of the hospital and pictures showed firefighters tackling the blaze with a jet of water (Phil Lindley/Twitter)

Several wards at Coventry's University Hospital were evacuated as firefighters raced to tackle a fire.

Eight fire engines with around 40 firefighters were sent to the scene following a call at 8.22am, West Midlands Fire Service said.

Footage on Twitter showed black smoke rising from part of the hospital.

Firefighters were pictured tackling the blaze with a jet of water.

No injuries were reported.

A spokesman for the fire service said: “There is a confirmed fire in an extractor flue from a boiler room.

“A phased evacuation has taken place and no injuries are reported.”

West Midlands Police were also at the scene of the fire.

Some reports said the blaze affected the mother and baby unit, but neither the hospital or the fire service’s spokespeople could confirm those details.

One man who lives near the hospital said he could see flames near the maternity unit.

“I popped outside about nine and could hear a crackling sound so walked to the side of my garage and could see and smell the fire licking up the side of the chimneys at the side of the hospital behind the maternity unit,” Neil Twigger told the Coventry Telegraph.

University Hospital Coventry NHS Trust later confirmed the "small fire" had been put out and there had been no injuries.

Patients and staff who had been evacuated were allowed back into the building, the fire service said.

In 2016, the hospital underwent remedial work after a safety review found it may have been constructed without adequate fire protection.