Thane: 9 rescued from eye hospital on 11th floor; fertility clinic unaffected

Smoke engulfs the corridors inside the building. Pic/X

Nine patients were briefly stuck at Isha Eye Hospital, located in Thane's Dev Corpora building, after a fire broke out on the 11th floor of the 16-storey building.

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) released a list of nine patients who had been trapped around midnight. While the patients could not be located initially, the hospital staff, including the floor manager, confirmed that none of them faced any adverse impact. The hospital remained operational as usual on Wednesday.

The main building also stayed functional throughout the day, with a notice at the reception for visitors reading: "Due to heavy black smoke from yesterday's fire, it is not advisable to go upstairs. Members going up do so at their own risk." The elevators remained out of service, forcing employees from the corporate offices housed in the building to use the stairs, which still carried a strong smell of soot.

Santati IVF Fertility Center, located on the first floor, was also unaffected. "If we were located on the higher floors or if the fire had been on the first floor, then we would've been in trouble," said the centre's head and gynaecologist, Dr Swati Dongre. She added, "All our samples are sealed and secured with HEPA filters. This is a daycare centre, so only our watchman was present at the time. We have been here for six years, and this is the first incident of fire."