Dozens of patients had to be evacuated from two wards after an ice-making machine caught alight at Epsom Hospital.

The incident happened the Chuter Ede Ward on Sunday afternoon, when the machine located in the ward’s kitchen caught fire.

According to a fire fighter from Epsom Fire Station, the fire was small, but patients had to be evacuated from the fourth and fifth floors because of the smoke.

Pumps from Leatherhead, Epsom and Esher fire stations attended the scene and the fire was extinguished by 6pm.

A spokesman for Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Trust said: “During the incident, patients were moved from the hospital’s clinical assessment unit (CAU) – located directly above Chuter Ede – in order to protect them from smoke inhalation.

“Surrey Fire Brigade attended the hospital and extinguished the fire with hand-held fire extinguishers. The Fire Brigade also supervised the movement of patients, who were able to return to the CAU in an hour and a half.”

Samantha Jones, the Trust’s chief executive, said: “Thanks to the professionalism of hospital staff and the emergency services, no one was hurt, the disruption to patients was kept to a minimum, and the small fire was quickly brought under control.”

No one was injured.