A small fire in a dryer unit forced officials at Baptist Shelby Medical Center to evacuate the building last Wednesday night.

SBMC spokesperson April Holcomb said the fire was reported around 7:45 p.m. after smoke was discovered in a laundry room behind the facility&8217;s new emergency room.

&8220;Smoke engulfed two rooms in the laundry area,&8221; Holcomb said. &8220;Most areas were evacuated for a very brief time as a precautionary measure.&8221;

Holcomb said all services at the hospital were up and running by 9:30 p.m., but ambulances had to be diverted to other hospitals until medical staff was allowed back into the facility.

&8220;The most important thing is that none of our patients were ever in danger,&8221; she said. &8220;We practice for this type of situation on a regular basis and our preparations really paid off.&8221;