Authorities: 1 dead, 3 injured in NC hospital fire

Spokesman Jim Jones of the state Department of Health and Human Services said the early information shows a spark and a fire took place during the defibrillation early Tuesday at Durham Regional Hospital. In an email sent by his agency, he did not elaborate on the specifics of what happened.

Defibrillation is generally used to re-establish a normal heart rhythm. Fire officials investigating the blaze have not said what caused the fire.

A Durham Regional Hospital spokeswoman said the fire was limited to one room of Select Specialty Hospital, a separately licensed acute care facility that leases space on the hospital's sixth floor and has 30 beds.

The fourth and fifth floors also suffered water damage, authorities said. Twenty-two patients of Select Specialty and about 20 Durham Regional patients were moved to other rooms, said Kellie Peacock, marketing director at Durham Regional.

The fire was reported about 2:15 a.m. When firefighters arrived, the hospital sprinkler system had extinguished the blaze.

Hospital officials were investigating exactly how the fire occurred and just where it began, said Katie Galbraith, Durham Regional's chief of operations.