A fire broke out late Sunday night in the ICU of Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur, killing six critically ill patients. Among the deceased were two women and four men, identified as Pintu (Sikar), Dilip (Andhi, Jaipur), Shrinath, Rukmini, Khurma (Bharatpur), and Bahadur (Sanganer, Jaipur). Five other patients remain in critical condition following the incident. But what exactly caused the fire, and why did it take over an hour to douse the flames?
No fire extinguisher, staff ignored warnings
According to initial reports, the fire was triggered by a short circuit in the storage area. Since there was no fire extinguisher at the hospital, the fire gradually became severe, Patrika reported. It took nearly one-and-a-half hours to douse the flames.
Relatives of patients alleged that the hospital staff ignored initial warnings and delayed the emergency response. Families have been criticising proper emergency management, alleging that the staff ignored their pleas when they made them aware of the smoke and when they saw flames, they ran away.
Deendayal, the ICU in-charge, said the fire started due to a short circuit, with smoke first appearing from the electrical wiring at around 11:30 PM, the outlet further reported.
Dr Deepak Maheshwari, Principal of SMS College, confirmed that the fatalities were caused by severe burns and suffocation.
At the time of the incident, 11 patients were in the neuro ICU, while 13 more were admitted to the adjoining ward when the fire broke out, trauma centre in-charge Dr Anurag Dhakad confirmed.
Firefighters broke doors, windows to enter ward
Staff and attendants reportedly moved patients using trolleys and beds, mostly on the road outside the hospital as a precaution, according to a report by Mathrubhumi. Some patients were on ventilators, while others were on oxygen support. It took about 20 to 30 minutes to evacuate all the patients, Patrika quoted him as saying.
Ward boy Vikas told PTI that he and other staff tried to rescue as many patients as possible before the fire intensified. Due to heavy smoke, firefighters had to break windows to enter the ward, while police arrived later and initially could not access the ICU.
“We were inside the operating theatre when we heard about the fire, so we immediately rushed to rescue the people inside the centre. We managed to save at least three to four patients. However, as the flames intensified, we could no longer go into the building. We did our best to rescue as many as we could,” he said.
Authorities investigating the incident
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel, and MoS Home Jawahar Singh Bedham visited the hospital to assess the situation. Authorities are investigating the incident, reviewing the damage, and examining patient safety protocols at the hospital. The administration has deployed a heavy police force outside the hospital.
PM Modi also condoled the deaths of those who died in the fire. “The loss of lives due to a fire tragedy at a hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, is deeply saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon.”
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has called for a high-level investigation into the deaths following the ICU fire at SMS Hospital.