MORE than 50 firefighters have been tackling a major blaze at Stockton Hall Hospital on the outskirts of York.

The fire began in a 16-bed patient accommodation unit at the psychiatric hospital just after 7.30pm and quickly spread.

Villagers watched on as eight fire engines and a special aerial ladder platform arrived at the scene.

Colin Chadfield, North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service’s area manager, said the single-storey building had lost its roof and suffered extensive damage.

Myles Paterson, director of Stockton Hall, said all the patients had been removed safely, everybody had been accounted for and nobody was hurt.

He said: “We have lost quite a proportion of the roof of Fenton ward and the unit is now uninhabitable.

“All the patients have been settled in alternative accommodation and we will reappraise the situation in the morning when we have a clearer understanding of the damage.”

He said at this stage they did not know what had caused the fire and investigations were ongoing.

“It is very sad,” he said. “It was a relatively new building with nice accommodation, but we are thankful that nobody has been hurt.

“All our staff are trained to deal with emergency situations like this and quite clearly on this occasion the staff have done their duty.”

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said two crews from York went to the scene at first, but quickly realised back-up was needed.

Water from hydrants and the hospital swimming pool were used to tackle the blaze, which took about one-and-a-half hours to bring under control.