A fire at a Glasgow hospital which was evacuated this morning was likely caused by a discarded cigaretted.
Patients and staff were directed to the car park of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Govan at around 9.22am on Wednesday.
Half a dozen fire appliances were sent to the scene, but security crews had already extinguished the flames outside the building.
One eyewitness told The Herald that an area between the main entrance and the children's hospital has been cordoned off.
"As I was walking from the multistorey to the main entrance, I saw about half a dozen fire engines along the bus stops," they said. "The fire fighters were telling everyone to get back and had cordoned off an area between the main entrance and the children's hospital.
"A couple of them were standing pointing to the roof.
"There were loads of patients, like me, who were wondering what would happen to our appointments, but they wouldn't give us any information.
"A nurse told me they thought it was a small fire."
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it had likely been caused by a discarded cigarette.
A spokesman said: “This morning at around 9.20am, our security teams provided an immediate response to a fire alarm at the QEUH and extinguished a small fire outside of the main building.
“The fire was accidental and likely caused by an inappropriately discarded cigarette.
“Thanks to our established fire safety protocols and the quick response of our team, there were no injuries and the fire was quickly extinguished.
“While the fire service completes necessary follow-up assessments and safety checks, a number patients and staff have been temporarily evacuated from the building.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 9.22am on Wednesday, September 16 to reports of a fire at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
"Operations Control mobilised four appliances to the scene, where the small external fire at the ground floor had been extinguished prior to the arrival of firefighters.
"Crews currently remain on the scene checking for any hidden hotspots.
"There are no reported casualties."
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