Witton Isolation Hospital was a facility for the treatment and quarantine of smallpox victims and their contacts in Birmingham, England, from 1894 to 1966.

Four tons of flammable material, including kerosene, waste oil and aluminium powder accelerants, were needed to burn the buildings, which were then empty.

A virologist from the UK government microbiology laboratories at Porton Down (then part of the Ministry of Defence), was asked to conduct tests to assess the efficiency of the conflagration.

Harold Gurden, Member of Parliament for the Selly Oak constituency in Birmingham, asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Julian Snow, how such a danger could have occurred in "a densely populated area", why the local residents had not been informed, whether the facility was going to be replaced and what evidence there was of the destruction of any remaining sources of smallpox virus by the fire.

[9] In his reply, Julian Snow said:[9] that the Microbiological Research Station at Porton, Salisbury, was asked by the senior administrative medical officer of the hospital board and the medical officer of health for the City of Birmingham to investigate the possibilities of smallpox virus surviving at Witton Hospital, and 26 samples of material from the hospital wards and drainage system were examined for smallpox virus, and no clear evidence has so far been obtained to indicate the presence of smallpox virus from any of the samples... it seems to be in the nature of small boys that they are tempted to break into empty buildings and go climbing where they should not.In October 1967 an application to redevelop the site for housing was made to the Birmingham City Council, which was approved by the Council in February 1968.