UPDATE: Middletown hospital fire caused by transformer issue on roof

Crews from three departments responded to a reported fire at Kettering Health Network Middletown on Ohio 122 this morning.

The fire started on the roof at around 7:30 a.m. and caused an evacuation of the building. It was caused by an equipment issue, according to a city of Middletown spokesperson.

The fire was put out, and everyone had returned to the building as of about 8:30 a.m., according to a Kettering Health Network spokesperson.

Middletown fire Chief Paul Lolli said the fire was caused when electrical wiring from the access lighting on the roof shorted and caught roofing material on fire.

The emergency room remained open during the incident, according Daniel Tryon, President of Kettering Health Network Middletown.

Only about 10 to 15 people were evacuated for about 20 minutes this morning while fire crews quickly doused the flames, he said.

“We had a small electrical fire on the roof of our facility, it was isolated to a small section,” Tryon told the Journal-News. “Out of precaution we did evacuate some of our physician office space but our emergency department remained open and is open now. We’ve been given the all clear.”

Tryon said the location of the fire “did not pose a risk” to the people in the emergency room. There is no smoke or fire damage to the inside of the building, just a “little water leaking in “

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According to emergency dispatch traffic, crews remain on the scene to clean up the site. Duke Energy crews are also responding to work on any possible electrical issues, according to dispatch traffic.

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