Maternity hospital evacuated after solar panel fire
Pregnant women were evacuated from a hospital in Bristol after a solar panel fire broke out.
Large plumes of black smoke were seen emerging from St Michael's Hospital, near the city centre.
The maternity ward at the hospital has reportedly been evacuated, with pregnant mothers and babies being led across the road to another building.
The cause of the fire, which has now been extinguished, is currently unknown.
Footage shared on social media showed women cradling babies being escorted past fire engines and under police tape to safety.
Jess Hutchinson, 22, whose waters have broken, told the BBC it was 'scary' hearing the fire start on the roof.
Matt Burden, from Weston-super-Mare, was inside the maternity unit when the fire started.
He told the BBC that his wife was in labour with their third baby and he was 'really eager to get back' to her.
He said: 'I went out to get some food, came back and obviously the alarm went off. They said all partners had to leave. Everyone was going down the fire exit quite fast.
A BBC forecaster shared a still image from a skycam located a short distance away, which showed the scorched remains of the hospital's rooftop solar panels.
Ian Fergusson said there was 'virtually nothing left of the rooftop solar panel array after this fire'.
He added: 'A very worrying and scary event for folks at the maternity hospital.'
Some patients have reportedly been taken to the Bristol University Life Sciences building.
In a statement, a spokesman for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said: 'We're currently responding to a fire on Southwell Street, Bristol.
'We encourage people to avoid the area while we deal with the incident.
'We can confirm that the fire has safely been extinguished.
'The cause of the fire will be investigated.'
Avon and Somerset Police said the fire had been reported at around 4.30pm.
A spokesman said: 'St Michael's Hill is closed to vehicles and pedestrians and people are urged to avoid the area if at all possible.'
A University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: 'We're responding to an incident at St Michael's Hospital, we will provide a further update shortly.'
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