A PATIENT has been charged over a major fire which caused extensive damage to a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of York.

More than 100 patients were evacuated after the fire started in a bedroom at Stockton Hall Hospital, in Stockton-on-the-Forest, last Friday night. The 24-year-old patient has been charged with causing arson with intent to endanger life and will appear at York Magistrates’ Court on May 26.

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

Villagers watched as eight fire engines and an 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.

More than 50 firefighters spent three hours tackling the flames and were able to prevent the fire from spreading to other wings of the medium-secure hospital.

Myles Paterson, director of Stockton Hall, said that all the patients had been removed safely to other wards in the hospital, everybody had been accounted for and nobody had been hurt.

Mr Paterson said that at that stage, staff 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.”

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

Water from hydrants and the hospital swimming pool were used to extinguish the blaze.