• An earlier photo of patients and staff at Wardown V.A.D. Hospital

On Sunday morning [January 14th, 1917] at 10.20 the Fire Brigade received a call to the Wardown Hospital, and in 3 min 50 secs they were on the spot. They there discovered that probably as a result of one or two slow combustion stoves in the Annexe Ward becoming overheated, or a spark escaping on to the felted roof, an outbreak of fire had occurred, and the flames burnt through the rafters.

But so promptly had the hospital staff acted, under the direction of Sister Florence Nellie Hobbs (pictured right), that not only had the whole of the patients been removed from the ward, but by the use of the chemical extinguishers kept on the premises for emergency purposes, the flames had been extinguished, and all that was left for the attention of the Brigade were two smouldering places in the roof.

Having satisfied themselves that all possibility of further danger had been removed,the Brigade returned to the Fire Station about 11 am.

A Luton News representative interviewed Chief Officer Andrew, who expressed his high admiration for the smart way in which the Hospital staff had unitedly acted.

"I should never have believed that they could clear a surgical ward in so few minutes," he remarked. "The greatest credit is due to all concerned for their promptitude, not only in getting all the patients out of the ward, but for the alacrity with which they got the extinguishers to work on the flames. The result was that only slight damage was done to the roof of the annexe."

That so little damage was done affords a gratifying testimony to the desirability of the drills which have been in course of progress amongst the hospital staff for months past, and it is only just to record that the Brigade, timed by some soldiers, turned out of the Station in less than 25 seconds after receiving the call.

[The Luton News:Thursday, January 18th, 1917]