Srinagar: A massive fire damaged the Bone and Joint hospital here on Friday night but there was no casualty reported. Patients were evacuated amid chaos and panic following fire from the “operation theatre” which spread amid a blast of gas cylinders, damaging “30%” of the building infrastructure.
A number of fire tenders from many parts of Kashmir were rushed to the scene to douse the blaze.
The fire had spread from one building housing main OT to another as fire services personnel battled hard to bring the blaze under control. There are reports that several gas cylinder blasts occurred and thus made the efforts to bring the fire under control a difficult task for the fire and emergency department.
Earlier the fire plunged the whole hospital administration besides patients and attendants into a panic.
Trauma, Recovery, and Emergency sections were damaged in the blaze which was brought under control after hectic efforts by official machinery and tremendous help rendered by the locals.
All the patients were evacuated and first kept outside the hospital before being shifted to various hospitals in the vicinity. A number of ambulances were pressed to remove the patients to other hospitals.
There were cries of pain and agony as fire and emergency service personnel along with locals put in their efforts to bring the blaze under control.
Director Health Services Kashmir (DHSK), Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Rather also told reporters at the scene that patients were shifted mainly to SKIMS Bemina and SMHS.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole said that preliminary reports suggest that fire started from OT and spread with a blast of gas cylinders.
He said expressed gratitude to the locals for timely help in the evacuation of the patients.
He said that Principal GMC shall inquire into the reason for the fire and if there were lapses despite the fire safety audit. He also ordered that all LPG cylinders used for heating purposes to ward off against the winter chill “have to go since Chillai-e-Kalan” is over already. He said 30% of hospital buildings suffered damage in the devastating fire.
Earlier as soon as the fire started many people from the adjacent areas rushed to the hospital to help authorities bring the fire under control and help the patients and the attendants in evacuation.
Health and Medical Education Department said it was deeply concerned and monitoring the aftermath of the devastating fire incident at B&J Hospital Srinagar.
“Reasons are being ascertained why the incident happened despite regular fire safety audits and adequate measures,” it said in a tweet.
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