Patients and staff were forced to flee after a fire erupted at a major London hospital on Thursday afternoon.
A team of 60 firefighters with eight fire engines descended on St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington after a blaze broke out in a ground-floor linen room of the Clarence Wing.
London Fire Brigade swiftly brought the situation under control, with no injuries reported despite the dramatic evacuation triggered by spreading smoke.
Fire is out at St Mary’s, but traffic remains chunky on Praed Street while emergencies services are on the scene. pic.twitter.com/t8my5bD9fx
— Paddington (@inpaddington) May 1, 2025
An update from the hospital said: “St Mary’s Hospital is currently managing a small, contained fire in a linen room on the ground floor of the Clarence wing building. London Fire Brigade are on site and the fire is out. As a precaution, we have temporarily moved patients and staff from wards and other areas affected by smoke.”
“No other buildings on the St Mary’s Hospital site are affected. All other services – including A&E and planned care – continue this afternoon, though we are closely monitoring the situation. Patients should continue to attend the hospital unless they hear from us directly.”
London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police also attended the scene. All three emergency services have been contacted for further comment.
St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington is one of the capital’s most prominent hospitals and has long been associated with royal births, particularly within its private maternity facility, the Lindo Wing. This tradition began in 1977 when Princess Anne chose the hospital for the birth of her son, Peter Phillips, marking a departure from the customary royal practice of home births in palaces. Subsequently, her daughter, Zara Tindall, was also born there in 1981.
The Lindo Wing gained further prominence with the births of Prince William in 1982 and Prince Harry in 1984. Continuing this legacy, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, welcomed their three children—Prince George in 2013, Princess Charlotte in 2015, and Prince Louis in 2018—at the same facility.
