SF Hospital Damaged When Patient Sets Off Fire Sprinklers

SAN FRANCISCO, CA- A San Francisco hospital emergency room sustained minor damage Thursday morning after a man allegedly locked himself in the bathroom and set off the building's sprinkler system.

At 4:17 a.m., officers responded to a report of a fire at the California Pacific Medical Center's Pacific Campus, located at 2333 Buchanan St., according to police.

A man had locked himself in the hospital's emergency room bathroom and somehow broke off the sprinkler's head, hospital spokesman Dean Fryer said. Water then came out into the emergency room lobby, Fryer said.

The suspect, a 50-year-old man, was a patient at the hospital, according to police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza. Hospital security was able to detain the suspect before police arrived.

The suspect's identity has not been released. He remains hospitalized and will be arrested on suspicion of vandalism once he is medically cleared, Esparza said.

The water was immediately cleaned up and the emergency room continued to see patients throughout the day, according to Fryer.

By Bay City News

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