Saint Francis fire likely caused by electrical malfunction

A fire early this morning at Saint Francis Medical Center is believed to have resulted from an electrical malfunction in a backup water coolant unit.

According to a statement from Saint Francis marketing and public relations manager Dana Hukel, the fire was reported in the hospital's employee parking lot around 6:10 a.m. Thursday.

Hukel said the local fire department was called immediately and quickly responded. Saint Francis officials believe an external, backup water coolant unit had an electrical malfunction in the heating mechanism and a fire resulted.

This unit is not attached to the medical center and is not in use, according to Hukel. It serves only as a backup to the main system. No patients or staff were put in danger and no one had to be evacuated due to the external location of the unit. Furthermore, no heating/air systems or water sources used by the hospital were affected. An investigation into the exact cause of the fire isunderway.

For more details, check back at semissourian.com or read Friday's newspaper.