The fire happened around noon inside the Physician’s Office Building at Kettering Medical Center on Southern Boulevard.
The call came in about a fire on the third floor, and within minutes of fire crews arriving, many patients were alerted to get out of the building.
Carolyn Cope, of Middletown, was at the doctor’s office for a visit on the fifth floor. She said, “The elevator doors opened and we knew not to go down. I got a whiff of smoke and we could tell something was definitely burning.”
Fire officials said they found a light fixture had caught fire in a doctor’s office on the third floor.
The fire was quickly put out by a fire extinguisher by staff inside the doctor’s office. However, the smoke traveled to most of the rest of the building.
Kevin Levoie, who is a spokesperson for Kettering Medical Center, said, “Everybody on these floors would be in physician’s office’s and they were quickly removed from the third floor and up.”
Cope said she was in tears. “When you’re in a wheelchair and you can’t walk, something like that happens and you really don’t know where to go.”
With the help of the staff, Cope and her son were moved to an adjoining building, where it was safe to use the elevator. Within minutes, they were out of the building, along with other patients.
Fire officials said everyone was allowed back in the building about 90 minutes later. There were also no reports of injuries.
The fire department is crediting quick work by the staff for handling the situation and providing a smooth response.