Fire breaks out in medical office building, contained in attic

FARMINGTON – More than 75 fire fighters from seven departments have contained a fire this morning believed to have started in the attic area of the three-story medical office building next to Franklin Memorial Hospital. Officials at the scene said the hospital is unaffected by the fire next door and is continuing its services with no evacuation needed.

In temperatures hovering at zero, the fire was contained with water and foam and crews are currently conducting assessments of the damage.

The Farmington Fire Department was called at 5:57 a.m. with a report of fire in the state-of-the-art Franklin Health Medical Arts Center building, which has been in operation for two years. That building is to the far side of the campus, connected to the main hospital building by a long, glass corridor. Deputy Chief Tim Hardy arrived first on the scene to report water from the building’s sprinkler system was pouring through the ceilings and smoke was seen inside the building.

The Farmington department arrived along with crews from Wilton, Jay and Temple and ascertained the fire was in a section of the attic area just north of the main entrance lobby of the 58,000 square foot building. Holes were cut into the metal roof to vent smoke and get to the source of the fire. At 6:36 a.m. a second alarm was called for New Sharon, Chesterville and Industry fire departments because more air packs and personnel were needed, said Deputy Chief Clyde Ross. Vienna’s department sent a crew to Chesterville’s station, since that town’s equipment was at the fire.

“Water and foam were applied to the area,” Ross said of the efforts inside the office building. He added that inside water and foam could be seen cascading down the open stairway and an adjacent rock waterfall from the second floor and into the lobby area. Two thick plumes of white smoke could be seen rising from the building’s roof from the hospital’s windows, but no flames were seen.

At 6:48 a.m. the state’s Fire Marshal’s Office arrived to conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire. Normally closed on weekends, no one was believed to be the office building at the start of the fire. Ross said that no hospital or firefighting personnel had been injured in the incident.

At 7:50 a.m., fire crews and hospital maintenance staff were moving through much of the building, attempting to mitigate water damage with salvage covers, and attempting to vent the heat and smoke in the attic out of the building.

Hospital officials said anyone with an appointment at the medical office building on Saturday should call the hospital switchboard at 778-6031 for more information. Mammograms had been scheduled to take place this morning in the medical office building, which is now closed for “at least one week,” according to FMH representatives. Medical practices and mammography services will be relocated.

A hotline has been established to inform patients of the procedures to follow if they have a scheduled appointment at the building, with such patients being asked to call 779-2163.

All operations at the main Franklin Memorial Hospital building will continue, unaffected.

“The fire does not impact Franklin Memorial Hospital operations and an evacuation was not necessary,” said FMH President and CEO Rebecca Ryder, as part of a statement released by the hospital.

The $10 million Medical Arts Center building, completed in June of 2008, is home to the Franklin Community Health Network’s pediatrics, women’s care, orthopaedics, general surgery, and urology medical practices, as well as the Martha B. Webber Breast Care Center. Also hospital departments such as human resources, health information management, and care support are located in the lower level of the facility. A glass corridor connects the main hospital to the office building to the north.

According to Ross, water damage to the affected section of the building, which houses the urology, general surgery and pediatrics offices, is expected to be extensive. No dollar figure assessment of damage is available at this time. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with both State Fire Marshal’s Office and insurance company personnel on the scene.