Fire at Noida district hospital; patients in ICU, ER shifted

Fire department officials said the recently replaced batteries of the UPS [uninterrupted power supply] in the server room had allegedly caught fire

A fire started in the basement of the Noida district hospital in Sector 39 early Wednesday, prompting hospital administration officials to shift around 25 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency ward (ER), which are located in the basement.

The fire was first noticed by a pharmacist on duty after he spotted smoke in the basement and quickly informed the hospital management, besides making a call on the emergency helpline 112

Fire and rescue officials later said the fire started in the server room in the basement, reportedly from a short-circuit. The fire was first noticed by a pharmacist on duty after he spotted smoke in the basement and he quickly informed the hospital management besides making a call on the emergency helpline 112, said officials.

“We got an emergency call at 3.55am that the basement of the district hospital had caught fire. As many as eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot. However, the fire extinguishing devices installed on the hospital premises were used successfully in dousing the fire within the hour . The doctors and hospital staff on duty acted promptly in evacuating patients,” Pradeep Chaubey, chief fire officer (CFO), Gautam Budh Nagar, said.

“No casualty was reported and the fire in the server room prima facie appeared to be from a short-circuit,” said Chaubey.

Fire department officials said the recently replaced batteries of the UPS [uninterrupted power supply] in the server room had allegedly caught fire.

“It has come to fore that the batteries of the UPS that were replaced around 25 days ago by the hospital management caught fire. The losses incurred are yet to be determined,” said the CFO.

Hospital authorities said they shifted patients admitted to the ER and the ICU because the smoke had reached till the first floor of the hospital.

“The staff acted promptly and the power line was shut by the electrical staff on duty as soon as the fire was spotted. Around 25 patients from the ICU and emergency were relocated on the first floor of the hospital as a precautionary measure,” Dr Renu Agarwal, chief medical superintendent (CMS), Noida district hospital, said.

“Six extinguishers in the hospital managed to douse the fire and there was no casualty. All patients were successfully taken to another ward and were later shifted back,” said Agarwal.