Wildfire forces California hospital to evacuate for 2nd time in a month

Alia Paavola -

Adventist Health St. Helena (Calif.) was forced to evacuate Sept. 27 due to a wildfire, according to The Guardian. This is the second time in a month a wildfire prompted an evacuation of the 151-bed hospital.

All 55 patients at the St. Helena hospital were safely evacuated by ambulance or helicopter over the course of five hours. Patients were taken to other Bay Area hospitals. 

The evacuation was due to the Glass Fire, which broke out in Napa Valley early Sept. 27 and scorched more than 1,000 acres. It advanced within a mile of Adventist Health St. Helena hospital. 

On Aug. 19, Napa County (Calif.) issued a mandatory evacuation order that included the hospital. The August evacuation was due to the Hennessey Fire, which started Aug. 17 after a lightning strike. 

"The last one was 8 miles away, and now with this one we are in imminent danger," Linda Williams, spokesperson for the St. Helena Hospital, told ABC News

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