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A blaze erupted on Wednesday night at a structure connected to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania, leading to a significant emergency response and the evacuation of patients, according to officials.
The Dickson City Fire Department announced in a Facebook update that it, along with other first-response teams, was dispatched to the hospital complex at approximately 9:40 p.m.
Upon reaching the scene, Fire Chief Richard Chowanec escalated the emergency response, requesting more units when he discovered the fire was located in the roof of the older Scranton Orthopedics building, which is linked to the more modern Lehigh Valley Hospital section.
Authorities confirmed that while the main hospital building did not have an active fire, it did sustain smoke and water damage.
Firefighters worked diligently to control the fire that ignited at Lehigh Valley Hospital on February 4, 2026. (Source: Dickson City Fire Department/Facebook)
Assistance in evacuating patients came from police officers across the Mid-Valley area, hospital staff, and EMS teams, with further support from the Lackawanna County Emergency Management Agency and Pennsylvania State Police.
WNEP-TV 16 reported that 77 patients were transferred from the hospital to local facilities and no major injuries were reported.
The local station said crews battled the blaze as parts of the orthopedics unit collapsed before the fire was ultimately contained around 11:15 p.m.
Crews worked to contain a fire that broke out at Lehigh Valley Hospital on Feb. 4, 2026. (Facebook/ Dickson City Fire Dept)
The Dickson City Fire Department said the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal Unit will investigate the cause and origin of the fire.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a re-election campaign kickoff event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro thanked first responders in a post on X for “running toward danger to help their fellow Pennsylvanians.”
“Lori and I are praying for the staff, patients, their families, and the entire community tonight,” he wrote.
