Touro Infirmary evacuated after two-alarm fire, no injuries sustained

A two-alarm fire that began in a kitchen forced an evacuation of a Touro Infirmary building Saturday afternoon, the New Orleans Fire Department said.

The fire began just before 2 p.m. in Building A, located at 1401 Foucher Street, and firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke in the kitchen that had spread through the ventilation system. A second alarm was struck at 2:17 p.m.

Fifty NOFD personnel, along with 20 units, contained to the ventilation system and the rest of the building was undamaged, but the entire facility was evacuated as a precaution, the NOFD said in a news release.

“Out of an abundance of caution, 27 babies were safely transferred to other hospitals for continued care,” the NOFD said.

The building suffered minor fire and moderate smoke and water damage, the NOFD said.