A late-night roof fire at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Dickson City triggered a large emergency response and the evacuation of patients
Lehigh Valley Hospital Fire: In a shocking incident, a massive blaze erupted on the roof of Lehigh Valley Hospital in Dickson City around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Witnesses reported flames visible from the rooftop as emergency responders quickly arrived on the scene.
Flames were visible from the top of the building as emergency teams rushed to the scene. Around 100 first responders and many emergency vehicles were present to control the situation.
Patients were quickly moved out of the hospital building for safety. Some were in wheelchairs, others on stretchers, and some walked with help from hospital staff. They were taken to a nearby building at 316 Main Ave. in Dickson City. Across the street, at Citywide Animal Clinic, the parking lot was filled with about 10 ambulances, with more vehicles lined along Main Avenue.
Firefighters sprayed water toward the upper floors from the back of the hospital while patients were being transferred and loaded into ambulances at the nearby building.
An ambulance was delayed as emergency vehicles, buses, and utility trucks blocked the road. First responders cleared space, and shortly afterward, one lane reopened toward the Interstate 81 interchange.
Four buses from the County of Lackawanna Transit System were parked near the hospital. An official was heard telling people, “If you are family, go to the buses.”
It was not immediately clear whether patients from Dickson City would need to be transferred to Geisinger Community Medical Center or other facilities.
At about 10:45 p.m., a staff member at the emergency department of Regional Hospital of Scranton said they were unsure about transfers. The staff member said, “We are open to them, but we don’t know. We are ready for patients to come if they need to but we haven’t heard of anyone in particular coming yet.”
At least three utility vehicles arrived, including one worker operating from a bucket truck in front of the hospital. Fire, police, and EMS teams from Moscow, Justus, Chinchilla, Greater Pittston, and other areas also responded. Scanner reports said off-duty workers were coming to help.
The hospital’s development began when physician-owned Coordinated Health started work at the site in January 2019 after buying Scranton Orthopaedic Specialists in 2017. Construction slowed but resumed after nonprofit Lehigh Valley Health Network acquired Coordinated Health in December 2019.
Plans for an expanded hospital were announced in October 2020. This project marked Lehigh Valley Health Network’s first major expansion into Lackawanna County and the Scranton region. The hospital helped fill a healthcare gap left after Mid Valley Hospital in Blakely closed its inpatient services and emergency room in 2014.
The hospital opened in May 2022 with a 19-bay emergency room. In June 2023, it added seven ICU beds and nine medical-surgical beds on a previously unfinished fourth floor.
In 2024, Lehigh Valley Health Network merged with Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, forming a larger health system.
