Smoke billows out of the Philippine General Hospital as fire hit it at around 1 a.m. on Sunday, May 16, 2021. (Photo from a video posted on Facebook by NURSE BANGZ)
MANILA, Philippines — Fire hit part of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) on Taft Avenue in Manila sometime past midnight on Sunday, according to an alert posted by TXT Fire on Facebook.
The fire was on the second alarm as of 12:59 a.m. and was raised shortly after 1:00 a.m. to the third alarm.
The PGH is the country’s biggest COVID-19 referral hospital.
A video posted by a Twitter user showed thick gray smoke billowing out of the upper floors of the hospital as firetruck sirens blared all around.
Another video showed evacuated patients in beds and gurneys with their relatives on the sidewalks and driveways outside the hospital.
According to people chatting outside the hospital, the fire apparently started in an electrical room on the third floor of the hospital.