A two-alarm fire that blazed through the kitchen area of Touro Hospital’s Building A on Saturday has been contained, the New Orleans Fire Department confirms. The fire sparked up at approximately 1:56 p.m. and was brought under control by 3:43 p.m. after a rigorous firefighting effort, with no injuries reported. According to details from the City of New Orleans’ release, around 50 fire operations personnel and 20 NOFD units were deployed to quickly manage to contain the situation.
The New Orleans Fire Department was swift to respond, making it on the scene within five minutes to confront the heavy smoke emanating from the kitchen, which had slowly begun to filter through the building via the ventilation system. Evacuation of the building was immediate, and within a span of 21 minutes after the first alarm, a second was called to supply additional manpower and equipment necessary to properly tackle the blaze. In the midst of their efforts, firefighters successfully contained the fire to the ventilation system, a move that ultimately spared the rest of the building from greater damage.
An evacuation saw the entire facility cleared for safety reasons, with a special note given to the 27 babies who were safely transferred to alternate hospitals to ensure their continued care. The second floor of the building underwent a complete shutdown as part of the emergency operations. Initial assessment post-incident has suggested only minor fire damage, but moderate smoke and water damage to the building, according to the City of New Orleans’ release…