Fire breaks out in Nirmal DH hospital; no casualties, 200 evacuated

About 200 patients were evacuated from the Nirmal district headquarters hospital on Sunday (October 20, 2024) afternoon as fire broke out on the first floor of the building. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Panic gripped the Pinjarigutta area of Nirmal town as patients from the ground-floor outpatient ward and second-floor inpatient department of the G+2 hospital were evacuated by the firefighters from the Nirmal Fire Station. The District Fire Officer (DFO) D. Prabhakar said that it took a team of six firefighters with the help of about 15 staffers of the hospitals to clear the building. “The patients were brought out to the empty ground in front of the hospital. Those with IV and saline drips were helped by their attenders to hold the pouches. Those in need of serious medical attention were shifted to private hospitals via ambulances,” said the DFO.

One fire tender was rushed to the hospital after a distress call at 11.40 a.m. “We reached the place in five minutes and first evacuated all the patients. A ladder was used to move the patients on the second floor. The first floor, where the fire broke out, has offices and administrative blocks. We suspect that the fire was of an electrical origin due to some short circuit as the offices were shut on Sunday,” said the officer.

The rescue and firefighting operation finished by Sunday afternoon. The Hindu