New Delhi: A minor fire today broke out in the emergency ward section of the crowded Safadarjung Hospital here, causing panic among patients and other people for a brief period.
However, the fire was soon brought under control and there was no major damage or casualty.
The fire, suspected to be caused by short-circuit or overheating of the wire, broke out in the MCB (miniature circuit breaker) box at the ground floor of the ward, following which patients and other people were evacuated.
“Patients were walked out or wheeled out and attendants and other staff also immediately left the ward after seeing the fire and cloud of smoke. Within 15-20 minutes, fire was put out and normal functioning of the ward was restored.
“No one was injured in the incident and neither any major damage was caused due to it,” the hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr A K Rai said.
“The fire incident was reported around 4.15 pm. Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was controlled within a few minutes,” Chief Fire Officer of Delhi Fire Service Atul Garg said.
Although the fire was not major, smoke due to burning of wire and electrical fitting in the meter box caused panic among patients, their attendants and hospital staff.
Lt Governor Najeeb Jung visited the hospital and took stock of the situation.
“He stayed for around 15-20 minutes and inspected the ward where the fire had broken out,” Rai said.
Safdarjung Hospital gets a huge number of patients and its fever clinics are crowded with patients of dengue and chikungunya, which have claimed at least 34 lives this season and affected nearly 4,000 people.
“The fever clinic and fever ward were not affected by the incident,” he said, adding, around 500 persons are visiting the clinic everyday.
The hospital has reported 393 dengue cases and 968 chikungunya cases this season, besides three deaths due to dengue and one due to malaria have been recorded here.
The cause of the fire was under investigation but it was suspected that the blaze broke due to overheating of the electrical wire, police said.