Fire crews rush to Surrey Memorial Hospital after sprinkler triggered, 1 hurt

Fire crews responded to a call at Surrey Memorial Hospital Monday morning.

While firefighters arrived to find a wet washroom and no flames, Fraser Health says in an email to CityNews a “flammable liquid was lit on fire” in the emergency department’s public washroom, setting off the sprinkler.

It explains a patient was in the hospital when the fire started, sustaining injuries that are “being treated.”

The health authority says some patients who were near the washroom were forced to move to other parts of the department, while others were sent to the Surrey-Whalley Urgent and Primary Care Centre.

CityNews initially received reports that a fire had broken out, and that the ER was evacuated.

Fire trucks were seen parked outside the building at around noon, and alarms could be heard ringing in the hospital’s hallways in video sent to CityNews.

A fire truck parked outside Surrey Memorial Hospital on Monday, July 10, 2023. Sources tell CityNews a fire broke out inside the facility that morning. (Angela Bower, CityNews Image)

Assistant Deputy Fire Chief Ben Dirksen explains crews arrived at the hospital around 10:30 a.m., where they found a malfunctioning sprinkler that had activated in an ER bathroom.

He says fire crews stuck around to help staff clean up for around two hours.

Fraser Health adds Surrey Memorial Hospital’s emergency department is fully open and accepting patients.

With files from Michael Williams and Angela Bower