HOUSTON (AP) -- The staff at a Houston blood bank scrambled to save about 6,000 units of stored blood as firefighters battled a four-alarm blaze that gutted the bank warehouse.
About 500 pints of blood had to be destroyed after the fire at the Gulf Shores Regional Blood Center.
``Everybody did what they were supposed to do. There was no panic,'' the center president, Bill Teague, told the Houston Chronicle for a story in Monday's online edition. ``Our people are more important than 500 units of blood.''
No one was injured in the Saturday night fire, which was limited to the warehouse. Investigators traced the cause to an electrical problem. The center was to remain closed for cleanup Monday.
The fire alarm sounded as employees were testing the 500 units of blood and evacuated the center, leaving the blood behind.
The blood had to be destroyed because it was exposed to temperatures higher than allowed. However, the staff was able to rescue about 6,000 units of stored blood, a three-day supply.
The center serves more than 200 hospitals and health care facilities.
``That supply was never in jeopardy,'' Teague said. ``It was only out of the refrigerator a couple of hours and it was in really good shipping containers that were well-monitored.''
Teague also said the center's blood-collection efforts were not affected seriously by the fire.
``We've been supplying blood throughout the process,'' he said. ``We haven't missed a beat in terms of taking care of hospitals.''
He said, however, that the center will not draw or test any blood until their equipment is checked for damage.
``We were told that some ingredients in smoke has a negative effect on computers,'' he said. ``We have to have representatives from the manufacturer of the machines come in and tell us if it works properly.''
He said they can ask other blood centers for help if needed.
``That resource sharing goes on all the time,'' he said. ``Lots of different places are ready, able and willing to ship (blood).''
