LARGO, Fla. — A fire occurred Saturday night at a hospital in Largo, officials say.
The fire started in the bathroom of a patient room on the third floor of HCA Florida Largo Hospital, the Largo Fire Department confirmed to 10 Tampa Bay.
Authorities say it appears that a battery in the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom overheated and then caught fire.
Nineteen patients were reportedly removed from the 3rd floor of the hospital and relocated to a safe area as nurses and firefighters kept watch.
The fire was put out by the building's sprinkler system, but the water managed to make its way from the third floor, down to the first floor, officials say.
The fire department says crews are still cleaning up the water on those three floors to ensure it does not short out any electrical equipment and possibly start another fire.
Authorities say the initial response to the incident was two alarms with 40 firefighters arriving at the hospital.
10 Tampa Bay has reached out to HCA Corporate to determine if there will be any impact on patient services but has not yet heard back.