Smoking Equipment Prompts Evacuation Of UCI Medical Center Emergency Room In Orange

ORANGE (CBSLA) — Dozens of patients were evacuated from the emergency room at UCI Medical Center early Tuesday after a leaking pump in the basement began smoking.

About 75 people had to be evacuated just after 2 a.m. from the emergency room at the hospital, at 101 The City Drive South. Several of the patients were spotted being wheeled out of the building in hospital beds, some of them still hooked up to IVs.

The patients were moved to other buildings on the hospital's campus. The emergency room was shut down to new patients for several hours.

Hospital officials say the smoke came from a vacuum pump that circulates air in the hospital's basement that was leaking oil.

"I don't know who smelled the smoke, but it was apparent. And so staff is trained to look for these anomalies, and they began evacuating patients pretty quickly," UCI Health spokesman John Murray said.

Hospital workers brought in extra ventilators and changed all the filters before reopening the emergency room about 10 hours after it was shut down.

There was no fire at any time, and no injuries have been reported.