ELDERLY patients were evacuated from their hospital beds after a fire broke out in a storeroom.

About 10 patients were moved out of ward seven at Blackburn Royal Infirmary when smoke from the small fire threatened to spread on to the ward.

The cause of the blaze is being investigated by the police and fire brigade.

Ambulance crews from Blackburn and Darwen were called in to help staff move the patients to a ward on a lower floor.

Station officer David Bowers praised the nursing staff for the way they handled the emergency.

He said: "The fire was in the top floor.

"When we arrived, the hospital staff had already moved the patients away from the fire to the opposite end of the ward.

"The smoke stop doors had gone into operation to stop the smoke spreading on to the ward.

"The ambulance crews had already been called to help move the patients down to the floor below.

"All the medical staff did a first class job."

The heavy smoke was dispersed using a special ventilation machine brought from the Incident Support Unit at Accrington.

Mr Bowers added: "The cause of the fire is being looked into. We are keeping an open mind about it."

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