2nd floor of Frick Hospital briefly evacuated after motor in boiler room burns

Independence Health System’s Frick Hospital is back to normal operations after a motor in the boiler room malfunctioned and overheated Friday afternoon, creating smoke inside the building and forcing an evacuation of some patients and hospital staff.

The hospital’s ventilation system spread the smoke from the burning motor, forcing the evacuation of the hospital’s second floor, where the smoke was strongest, said Mt. Pleasant Fire Chief Paul Harenchar. The burnt motor was removed and taken outside the building.

Some patients were taken to ambulances from Mutual Aid and Mt. Pleasant Medic 10 that were waiting outside the hospital entrance. Some hospital personnel who had left the building said they could smell smoke, but it was not a strong odor.

Independence Health System spokesperson Tom Chakurda said that the hospital called a “code triage” at 3:41 p.m. because of the smoke.

“This was due to a smoky haze in parts of the building, emitting from an overheated air handle motor smoldering on the second floor. There was no fire,” Chakurda said. “The fire department was called, responded, and the building was cleared of smoke. Employees in some areas were evacuated as a precautionary measure.”

Four Frick emergency department patients were moved to Westmoreland Hospital, but no one was injured.

Mt. Pleasant firefighters, whose station at 100 S. Church St. is about two blocks from the hospital, were on the scene within three minutes of receiving the alarm at 3:13 p.m., Harenchar said.

Air trucks from the fire departments in Greensburg and Westmoreland City in North Huntingdon, pushed air into the building with huge fans.

Workers were returning inside by 4:15 p.m. and firefighters were leaving the scene around 4:40 p.m.