Around 19 patients at HCA Florida Largo Hospital were evacuated to other rooms after a fire started in a patient's room on Sunday night.
Largo Fire said around 8 p.m. smoke was seen coming from the third floor. Fire crews from Clearwater, Seminole, and Largo were called to assist.
“Preliminary investigation shows that a paper towel dispenser possibly overloaded with some batteries, and because again paper towels are highly flammable, it overheated the paper towels inside, started to drip molten plastic down onto the table that they had tissue paper and towels on and then it extended to the wall from there. It was contained at the height of about midway up the wall,” Largo Fire District Chief, Kyle Lighthiser, said.
Lighthiser said the fire burned through the paper towels and said it's unclear how long the fire was burning before the sprinkler system put it out. He said the staff was told to shut down the air conditioning system so smoke wasn’t circulating.
Fire crews then walked through the building with air monitors to make sure it was safe.
Lighthiser said maintenance is cleaning up any flooding but added that general cleanup will take several days.
There were no reported injuries.
