The babies in the NICU at Ochsner Lafayette General Hospital got to do a little traveling Wednesday afternoon.
Just before 4 p.m. staff in the unit noticed a light haze of smoke and called 911 right away. They moved the babies to another unit, while firefighters found the smoke was coming from the ceiling. They found a small section of the roof was burning, and were able to put the fire out within minutes.
First responders set up ventilation fans to exhaust the light smoke and smell.
Fire officials determined a roofing company was repairing the roof. The repair process requires the use of a heating torch. The heat from the torch ignited combustible material. The fire smoldered beneath the surface and eventually flared. The cause of the fire was ruled an accident.
We reached out to the hospital, and here's what they sent us:
At approximately 4 p.m., a fire occurred on a section of roof at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center where roofing work was being conducted by a team of contractors. Emergency services were immediately alerted and responded swiftly to contain the fire.
Because of the location of the fire, babies and visitors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) were quickly relocated to a newly expanded nursery area away from the evacuated space. None of the babies were impacted. Their safety and well-being were our top priority throughout the brief incident. For their continued safety, the babies remain in the new nursery today, and our dedicated staff is providing uninterrupted care to our youngest patients.
We extend our sincere appreciation to our staff, emergency responders, and all those involved in managing this situation and for keeping our patients, staff and visitors safe.
