Chief fire officer says most died of suffocation; civil hospital hadn’t installed fire-fighting system due to want of funds
Firefighters inspect a ward after a fire broke out at the Ahmednagar civil hospital on Saturday morning. Pic/AFP
Fire brigade personnel had a tough time dousing the fire at the ICU of the Ahmednagar civil hospital in Maharashtra on Saturday morning, as the main entrance was covered in thick smoke, and the windows had grills on them. The blaze claimed 11 lives. Most of the patients were senior citizens, and many of them were on ventilator or oxygen, which made the rescue operation trickier.
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A fire audit had been carried out at the hospital, but all necessary systems were not in place for want of funds, an official claimed. Amid panic, cries and chaotic scenes, fire brigade personnel broke the window panes and began dousing the flames using water cannons, said a civic fire official whose team was the first to reach the spot after the blaze started around 11 am.
About 20 Covid-19 patients were undergoing treatment in the ICU when the fire broke out, he said. There were 15 patients on ventilator or oxygen. “Saving them was priority. But due to their critical condition, we had to figure how to remove the oxygen support and bring them out,” the official said. “After discussion, we decided to bring them out anyhow and later put them back on oxygen or other support systems,” he added.
Shankar Misal, Chief Fire officer of Ahmednagar municipal corporation, said they rushed two fire tankers immediately when the call came. “The patients who died in the incident possibly suffocated due to the smoke and heat inside the ICU,” he said. Most of the deceased were aged between 65 to 83, according to hospital officials.
After a devastating blaze at a Covid-19 hospital in Nashik earlier this year, a fire audit had been carried out at this hospital. Following the fire audit, the hospital had been asked to install an effective fire-fighting system. But the work was incomplete due to “want of funds”, though the hospital had fire extinguishers, he said.
State announces Rs 5L for kin of deceased
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday announced an ex gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh each for the kin of those who were killed in the fire mishap at Ahmednagar Civil hospital. “Deputy Commissioner (DC) has ordered an inquiry into the incident and has directed to submit the report in a week’s time,” added Tope. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also expressed his condolences and ordered a probe into the incident.
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