A fire, caused by an electrical short circuit, broke out in the maternity ward of Kamla Raja Hospital in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, police reported. No casualties were reported in the incident.
In response, approximately 150 patients from across the hospital, including those from the maternity ward, were safely relocated to the Super Specialty Hospital. Two fire tenders were dispatched to the scene and successfully brought the blaze under control.
“There were around 13 patients in the section of KRS hospital, along with 9-10 others, making it 22-23 patients in total. As soon as the fire broke out, patients were evacuated, but the smoke spread throughout the hospital. All patients have now been evacuated and shifted to the Super Specialty Hospital,” Vinod Singh, a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, said.
Singh stated that there were no casualties, and patients were being assessed for potential effects of smoke inhalation.
Atibal Singh Yadav, a fire officer with the Gwalior Municipal Corporation, confirmed that two fire tenders were deployed and successfully extinguished the blaze. “We received information about a fire in the maternity ward of the hospital and immediately alerted six stations. Two fire tenders arrived quickly and controlled the fire,” Yadav said.
Eyewitnesses reported that a patient’s attendant broke a window to help evacuate patients with the support of hospital staff.
“It was around 1:30 to 2 AM when we heard doctors and others screaming about a fire while people were sleeping outside. Our patient was in the ICU, and we were terrified. Looking through the window, we saw patients trapped inside. We used an oxygen cylinder to break the glass, allowing the smoke to escape and assisting in their evacuation,” an eyewitness recounted.
Dr Rita Mishra, Assistant Superintendent of the Super Specialty Hospital, described the chaotic situation, saying, “I got a call from a doctor about the fire. We rushed to the hospital and called the supervisors and cleaning staff as well. There was a lot of smoke everywhere, but Dr Archana guided efforts to ventilate the area.”
(With ANI inputs)