By JESSICA A. BOTELHO
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CIRCA via WJAR) — A fire broke out at Hasbro Children’s Hospital Tuesday night, with authorities calling a young boy a “superhero” for seeing flames and alerting his mother.
Video shows flames, as well as heavy smoke, pouring from the building.
HAPPENING NOW: Large firefighter presence at Hasbro Children’s Hospital @NBC10 pic.twitter.com/lRU9ua0i9g
— Danielle Kennedy (@NBC10_Danielle) January 16, 2019
“Providence Fire Fighters are out with a 2 alarm fire at Hasbro Children's Hospital. Stay safe Brothers and Sisters!” Providence Fire Fighters posted on Twitter just before 8:30 p.m.
Less than 20 minutes later, they wrote that they "made quick work" of the blaze.
Providence firefighters made quick work of this 2 alarm fire at Hasbro Children’s Hospital pic.twitter.com/HgKpcWYfEb
— Providence Fire Fighters (@ProvFirefighter) January 16, 2019
A witness told NBC 10 News he saw flames coming from the roof.
“I just came out from visiting my mother and I saw the hospital on fire,” the witness said. “We saw the flames, black smoke coming out. We went back inside to make sure, obviously, that she was OK, then came back out to leave.”
Keith Rodriguez, an employee, told NBC 10 he was about to take his break when flames erupted.
“It’s very scary,” Rodriguez said. “I just pray that all the kids and Hasbro are safe right now.”
A spokeswoman for Lifespan issued a statement, noting that flames broke out on the third floor just after 8 p.m. She said no one was hurt and that no patients were affected.
“The Hospital is fully functional and accepting patients,” the spokeswoman said.
Hasbro employees say no one was injured in the fire that started above the OR on the roof, no one was in the vicinity, FF put it out quickly. A young boy is being credited w/ seeing flames and telling adults. pic.twitter.com/6DxBoqIr8u
— Sam Read (@NBC10_Sam) January 16, 2019
Timothy Babineau, who is chief executive officer and president of Lifespan, said there was no need to evacuate the building because the fire was contained so quickly.
Babineau also said authorities believe a young boy who was visiting a patient first spotted flames. He told his mother, who altered staff, who called 911.
“He is a hero. He’s a superhero,” Babineau said. “We always talk about the superheroes at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. He really is a superhero.”
Authorities said the building sustained water damage, adding that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
“We’re all very thankful that this wasn’t worse than it actually was,” Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza said, with Providence Safety Commissioner Steven Pare adding that the fire impacted the roof but never penetrated the building. “The key to fighting any fire is getting enough resources at the scene quickly and that’s what they did.”
Babineau agreed.
“Thankfully, this has a happy ending,” he said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“The Hospital understands that work was being done on the rooftop earlier in the day, and that will be part of the investigation,” according to the spokeswoman.
