It was business as usual Monday morning at University Hospital, days after fire broke out on the second level of the visitor’s parking garage.
The garage has been reopened, and hundreds of people whose vehicles were stranded have been allowed to retrieve them.
Officials with the London Health Sciences Centre say an investigation has determined Saturday night’s intense blaze was not the work of an arsonist.
“The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office concluded its investigation, after an eye witness account revealed that the cause was a car that caught fire and not arson, as was originally suspected. As such, the garage has been released to LHSC,” the statement, issued late Sunday afternoon, reads.
London Police have also issued a comment on the case saying their investigation determined the cause of the blaze was an electrical problem.
Officers say an owner of one of the damaged cars lives outside of London and used a GPS unit for directions to get to the hospital. When he tried to remove the GPS it caused sparks. Those sparks were what started the fire.
It was around 7:30 p.m. Saturday when the fire broke out on the second level of the visitor’s parking garage on Windemere Road. Black smoke billowing out of the structure could be seen for kilometres around the hospital’s campus.
London fire crews and London Police responded to the scene.
Platoon Chief Paul Carew told AM980 five vehicles were affected in the blaze, while LHSC officials say three were consumed by flames.
The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damages.
Nobody was injured.
London Police say anyone with questions regarding moving their vehicle should contact Corporate Communications and Public Relations at LHSC at 519-685-8500 ext. 77129, or by pager at 15427.
