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424 patients evacuated as major fire breaks out at PGI’s Nehru Hospital
Over 400 patients, including pregnant women and newborn babies, were evacuated after a major fire broke out at a hospital in Chandigarh, India. The fire started in a computer backup room and spread rapidly throughout the building. A committee has been formed to investigate the incident.
More than 400 patients, including pregnant women, newborn babies and critical patients, were evacuated to safety after a major fire broke out at the Nehru Hospital block of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, late Monday night. The entire building had to be vacated after smoke erupted. A committee has been formed to probe the incident and a report has been sought by the director, PGI, within 48 hours.
Hospital sources said the fire broke out in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system in the computer back up room on the ground floor of the hospital around midnight. Fire spread rapidly in the C-block, which has male and female medical wards, gynaecology ward, neonatal intensive care unit, respiratory ICU and OTs that function 24x7. The smoke made its way up to the fifth floor.
Initial reports suggest a short circuit in the computer back up room sparked off the fire. In this room around 100 batteries were kept, and the explosion in these batteries triggered the fire that spread rapidly in the C-block. This block has a dialysis unit, adult kidney unit, renal transplant unit, male and female medical wards, gynaecology ward, nursery and neonatal intensive care unit, haematology ICU, respiratory ICU and operation theatres that function 24x7.
Fire tenders were pressed into service, and they brought the blaze under control but the block that houses intensive care units suffered substantial damage. As the smoke spread to the corridors, patients in the adjoining advanced urology centre and male surgical ward were also shifted to safer places.
A total of 424 patients were evacuated, including 351 adults, 80 pregnant women, 56 babies and 17 children of the paediatrics ward. The patients were shifted to two safe areas in Nehru Hospital and the Nehru Hospital Extension Block. The patients in adjoining wards and corridors were shifted to the wards concerned or ICUs as a precautionary measure.
Sources said security and fire officers besides staff, including faculty, resident doctors, staff nurses and subordinate staff of the PGI, got into action and all patients were shifted to safer areas by 2am.
Due to the smoke, Block-C passages, walls and ceilings till level five turned black. The UPS room on the ground floor, pulmonary ICU on the first floor, SLR /gynae ward, OB1 & OB 2 where labour patients were kept on the second floor were totally damaged in the fire.
Newborn babies, pregnant women evacuated through windows
Nursing staff, doctors, and Class IV staff broke the glasses of windows of the delivery room on the second floor. Patients were shifted to safer places through a narrow passage behind the delivery room. As the smoke caused suffocation, many saved their lives by entering this narrow passage which was on the outer side of the building.
Though the fire was restricted to the building’s third floor, the fourth and fifth floor were filled with smoke.
Major tragedy averted
As the smoke spread to the entire building, the exposure to the fumes caused irritation in the eyes and throat of people. The glasses of the windows were broken, due to which the smoke went out. As per sources, the staff timely removed the pipes from gas cylinder kept on the ground floor that could have caught fire and caused a blast.
13 fire tenders pressed into service
According to officials, while 10 fire tenders from UT fire stations, including Sector 11, 17, 38, 32, Ram Darbar and Industrial Area, were pressed into service, one each from Panchkula and SAS Nagar were rushed to the spot besides using one fire tender of the PGI fire department. The PGI fire teams were already in action before the UT firefighters reached the spot.
While the fire teams along with PGI security and staff evacuated patients through the staircase, many patients who got stuck in the building were rescued from the building by the firemen using the hydraulic platform of the Sector 17 fire station.
“There were a few patients who were critical and couldn’t move and thus they were wrapped in blankets and evacuated through the staircase by the rescuers. There were many patients who were evacuated using a hydraulic platform which got them down along with their stretchers,” a fire officer said.
Forensic teams inspect spot
On Tuesday morning forensic teams inspected the spot. They went inside the UPS room, where the fire started. The team also collected some samples.
PGI admn forms panel to probe incident
A committee comprising 14 members under Prof Naresh Panda, acting dean, academics, PGI, has been constituted to investigate the fire incident. The primary objective of the committee is to determine the precise cause of the fire and formulate a proactive action plan to prevent similar incidents from occurring at the institute in the future.
How it unfolded
11.45 pm-Fire broke out in UPS room
11.50 pm- PGI staff start rescue operation
12.7 am-Fire station at Sector 11 receive call
(According to SOPs fire teams were dispatched within 30 seconds)
12.12 am-Fire tenders reach the spot
12.15 am- UT fire teams take over firefighting operation
1.15 am-424 patients evacuated
3 am- Fire controlled
7 am- Fire teams remain stationed till 7 am due to smoke in the building
7.30 am- Fire teams leave the spot
