'Pregnant women and babies evacuated' after fire at Bristol maternity hospital

Pregnant women and babies were reportedly evacuated from a Bristol city centre maternity hospital following a fire on the roof of the building.

Black smoke was seen billowing from St Michael's Hospital after the blaze broke out at around 4:30pm today.

Footage shared on social media showed flames on the roof of the building on Southwell Street.

Pregnant women and babies had to evacuate the hospital as firefighters tackled the blaze, according to reports.

Avon Fire and Rescue confirmed it had responded to a fire on Southwell Street in Bristol and encouraged members of the pubic to "avoid the area while we deal with the incident".

The fire service confirmed at around 5:25pm that the fire had been "safely extinguished" and its cause "will be investigated".

Avon and Somerset Police had confirmed its officers were supporting firefighters at the scene.

The force urged people to avoid the area "if at all possible".

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Professor Stuart Walker, hospital managing director at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Following a fire incident at St Michael's Hospital this afternoon, we can confirm that the fire has safely been extinguished.

"Thank you to our amazing staff who worked closely with the fire service to partially evacuate the hospital.

"The hospital, including the delivery suite, has now reopened to women who need to access our services and people with appointments tomorrow should attend as planned."

(c) Sky News 2025: 'Pregnant women and babies evacuated' after fire at Bristol maternity hospital