Helicopter
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Equipment / Tooling
While en-route to pick-up a baby with the NICU team and the spare isolette/incubator; a pump on the isolette caught on fire in cruise flight. The Flight Medic was able to extinguish the fire with a bottle of water before the Flight Nurse was able to pass the Flight Medic the fire extinguisher. Hospital Communications were informed of the incident immediately. I performed a landing in a vacant lot. Fire and Police responded. The Medic Company responded and transported the NICU crew; with a different isolette; to the referring hospital and completed the transfer by ground. A base Mechanic also responded to the scene and conducted a thorough check of the aircraft. The defective isolette was removed from the aircraft and transported back for further inspection.
Helicopter ambulance Captain reported an empty baby incubator caught fire while in flight.