Fire and the ensuing water damage forced the 150-bed Crittenden Regional Hospital to temporarily shut its doors Friday.

The West Memphis hospital, already beset by financial woes, likely will remain closed this weekend.

Hospital officials said they hope to reopen the facility early next week. Those who want updates on that time estimate can call (870) 735-1500, extension 2210.

The fire started before dawn in an unoccupied patient room. A sprinkler system and firefighters kept the flames contained to that one room, Chief Executive Officer Gene Cashman said.

No one was injured. There were 33 patients in the building when the fire started. Some already were due to be discharged Friday. Those patients included women who had given birth and senior citizens who were heading back to nursing homes, Cashman said.

The 14 patients who couldn't be discharged were transferred to Methodist University Hospital in Memphis.

Cashman credited both the sprinkler system and employees' quick action for the lack of injuries.

"This is a resilient staff," he said, adding that all clinics, home health care and hospice care weren't affected by the fire.

According to the hospital's online statement: "The water from the suppression efforts has affected significant portions of the hospital, including ICU, Special Care, Radiology, Emergency, Surgery, Admissions and Registration. We are assessing the extent of the damage so we can determine when we can reopen and begin serving patients again."

The hospital is insured, and a company is working on the water damage, Cashman said. The fire started on the second floor, and the water used to combat the flames seeped to the first floor as well.

Crittenden Regional Hospital already faces possible closure if voters don't approve a five-year, 1 percent sales tax later this month. At this time, the hospital is facing $30 million in debt.

The shortfall is due to an increase in uninsured patients and cutbacks in Medicaid and Medicare, hospital administrators have said. The hospital also has lost key doctors who either relocated or retired; such doctors and specialists brought in most of the revenue.

The majority of patients there rely on either Medicaid or Medicare, Cashman said in a recent Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article, adding: "It's a very critical time. Without a tax, the hospital will lose its ability to operate."

If the tax passes, the hospital -- which employs 420 doctors and staff members -- would use some of the money to recruit more physicians. It also would like to use tax revenue to upgrade its emergency room, to expand medical services at its Marion facility and to market the hospital.

Ballots will be cast June 24. If the measure passes, it would generate about $30 million over five years, officials said.

"It's an unfortunate event," Cashman said of the fire. "But this, if anything, shows the importance of the hospital in the community. This will not deter our campaign."

State Desk on 06/07/2014