NICU evacuated due to fire at Ochsner Lafayette General

LAFAYETTE, La. (ENN) - The NICU unit at Ochsner Lafayette General was evacuated today due to a fire.

Officials responded to the fire around 3:40pm on Wednesday afternoon. NICU staff were first to notice a light haze of smoke in the unit and called 911 immediately. "The nurses and staff quickly moved the babes to another unit when the issue was noticed."

Upon arrival, firefighters quickly determined that a small section on the roof was burning. They quickly extinguished the fire and set up ventilation fans to exhaust the light smoke and smell.

According to a report, the fire originated from a heating torch a roofing company was using during a repair process. The heat from the torch ignited combustible material, which smoldered beneath the surface and eventually flared. The cause of the fire has been ruled an accident.