Patient set fire to busy A&E room

Patients at one of Ireland’s busiest emergency departments had to be evacuated for four hours yesterday after a man barricaded himself into a side room with two other people before setting the area on fire.

The incident, which was only resolved when an ambulance paramedic broke through a locked door to the unit, occurred at 3am in Beaumont Hospital.

While no patient was hurt, the need to clear up the emergency department meant the vital service was shut from 4am until 8am.