The hospital resumed outpatient services Monday.
Officials said firefighters extinguished the fire, which began at 6 a.m. Oct. 13, the same morning. However, smoke damage from the blaze necessitated the closing of the facility for cleaning and repairs.
The Akron Fire Department determined the hospital’s fire suppression systems had been working at the time of the incident. However, the fire’s location in the basement allowed smoke to spread throughout the building through an elevator shaft and plumbing chase.
Fire department officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
An estimated 100 St. Thomas orthopedic patients were transported to nearby Summa Health facilities and other hospitals. Patients evacuated during the incident will remain at the hospitals they were transported to and will not return to the St. Thomas campus, officials said.
While patient care and staff areas have been thoroughly cleaned, the facility’s basement and several other nonpatient and non-public areas are not complete and will not be accessible. The hospital also underwent and passed several other inspections to ensure all of its systems and equipment are functioning properly.
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