Published Thursday 14 Jan 2021

Fire and Emergency services attended and the fire was contained, and was largely extinguished by the building’s automatic water sprinkler systems prior to their arrival.

The fire at Wellington Regional Hospital (WRH) just after 2am this morning originated in a switchboard in the plant room on level 8 of the main hospital block. The cause of the fire is being investigated by a specialist fire investigation officer but is thought to be electrical.

Fire and Emergency services attended and the fire was contained, and was largely extinguished by the building’s automatic water sprinkler systems prior to their arrival.

There have been no reported injuries and four patients were moved due to leaks. CCDHB’s emergency management team provided clearance at 7am.

There is significant water damage across all levels of the WRH building. A team will remain on site to assess and address any further damage over the next 24 hours.

There will be fewer lifts operating over the next few hours, however at this time all other aspects of our operations are expected to function as per normal.

Our staff who were on site at the time of the fire followed our fire safety protocols and safely managed our patients in the building. Fire training is given to all staff who join CCDHB and regular fire safety drills and further training is provided throughout the year.