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The incident was described as "bloodcurdling" by witnesses.
07:51, Fri, Feb 27, 2026 Updated: 07:53, Fri, Feb 27, 2026
The incident was described as 'bloodcurdling' by witnesses (Image: Getty)
Patients and staff have been left shaken after a man was engulfed in flames at Cairns Hospital’s emergency department in Far North Queensland, Australia. A woman who witnessed the incident unfold just after 2am on Thursday (February 26) said she was left shaken by the event.
Kelsey Meyers and her husband were awaiting treatment when she saw a man come into the unit and then pour a large amount of hand sanitiser over himself. "It honestly feels like a movie," she told Australian newspaper, Cairns Post. "I’m so grateful there were nurses there to help him. A male nurse grabbed the bottle and said, "Come on, mate, we don’t need to do that." She also described the scene as "absolutely horrific": "The smell, the screams, I will never forget it. It was bloodcurdling [...] My partner tried to shield me, but even in the reflection of a window, I could see it".
A male nurse was left with burns to his hands and arms (Image: Getty)
She said people in the waiting room tried to get away from the smoke and smell, which was "stuck in [her] nostrils". She said her partner told the nurse to close the door because the smell was making patients sick.
"Every time I close my eyes, I see that gentleman," Ms Meyers added.
She also said one of the nurses who put out the fire suffered burns to his hands and arms.
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service spokesman Leena Singh confirmed a staff member was injured during the incident and employees had been "offered assistance and counselling support".
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Cairns Hospital said a staff member had been injured and employees offered counselling (Image: Getty)
Singh told MailOnline : "As per established protocols, at the time of the incident, our staff quickly and calmly decanted a relatively small number of people from the main ED waiting room into a secure, safe alternative area within the department.
"This was done both to remove everyone from any physical risk and, importantly, to shield them from having to witness a potentially traumatic scene."
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Ms Singh said a full incident review was conducted "to ensure we continue to learn and strengthen our already robust emergency response protocols". She could not provide further details due to patient confidentiality, but added: "We ask for understanding that we are unable to provide any further personal details at this time."
Cairns Hospital, located on The Esplanade, is the major specialist referral hospital for Far North Queensland, operating 24/7 with a recently expanded 53-bed Emergency Department as part of a $250million (£132million) project. It acts as a primary referral centre for the region, offering over 30 sub-specialities, including advanced oncology, mental health and surgical care.
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