A patient from a secure psychiatric wing at Hawke's Bay Hospital was being sought by police late yesterday after absconding during a fire alert in the unit in Hastings.
The Fire Service was called to the wing at 2.18pm after bedding in the wing was apparently set alight by a patient.
A sprinkler system was able to contain the fire, but not the patient, who was understood to have fled during the evacuation of the unit.
The fire was confined to the bedding, but considerable mopping up was needed to remove water from throughout the wing.
