BHOPAL: A newborn died and two four-day-old babies sustained burn injuries after a cradle warmer reportedly caught fire at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of the Chhindwara District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh in the early hours of Saturday.
The fire broke out around 1.50 am, reportedly following an electrical short circuit in the heating coil of a cradle warmer, a medical device used to maintain the body temperature of newborns, particularly premature and low-birth-weight babies.
Sparks from the heating coil triggered the blaze, which engulfed the warmer while at least 33 newborns were admitted to the In-Born Unit of the SNCU. Around 30 other newborns were admitted to the Out-Born Unit.
Alert on-duty staff immediately moved the burning cradle warmer away from the other babies, reportedly within 30 to 45 seconds of noticing the fire. However, three newborns, including two girls, sustained burn injuries.
A senior doctor at the Chhindwara District Hospital told TNIE that the three affected babies were on oxygen support, which may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
“All the babies from the In-Born and Out-Born Units were shifted to the Step-Down Units. The three affected babies were stabilised over the next two hours before being shifted in advanced ambulances to Jabalpur Medical College,” the doctor said.
One of the three babies died while undergoing treatment at Jabalpur Medical College, while the other two, who suffered superficial burns, were reported to be haemodynamically stable.
However, an autopsy found that the newborn who died had succumbed to congenital health complications and not the burn injuries, the doctor said.
The baby, born only a few hours before the incident, was suffering from congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a birth defect in which a hole in the diaphragm allows abdominal organs to move into the chest cavity. This can crowd the developing heart and lungs, resulting in underdeveloped lungs and severe breathing difficulties at birth.
“The chances of survival were already low, and the family was informed immediately after the birth that urgent surgical intervention was required. Such an intervention was not possible at the Chhindwara district hospital due to the unavailability of a paediatric surgeon. However, the family, which has links to the health department, expressed its inability to take the newborn elsewhere,” sources said.
The other two injured babies, both four days old, were reported to be stable. One is a low-birth-weight baby suffering from sepsis and respiratory distress, while the other has other underlying health complications.
The prompt response of the hospital staff helped evacuate not only the newborns in the In-Born Unit but also around 30 babies admitted to the Out-Born Unit.
The intervention also prevented the fire from spreading within the SNCU and potentially reaching the gynaecology ward on the first floor, directly above the unit.
The exact cause of the incident will be established only after a detailed probe ordered by the authorities. The overcrowding of the SNCU, which meant that cradle warmers were reportedly being used continuously, is among the factors likely to come under scrutiny.
Three babies were on the cradle warmer that caught fire.
“All CCTV footage has been preserved for a detailed technical investigation. The probe will help establish the exact cause of the fire and identify measures to prevent such incidents from recurring,” a senior official at the Chhindwara District Hospital said.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Assembly Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar criticised the BJP government over the incident. In a post on X, Singhar alleged that hospitals were becoming a threat to patients’ lives under the BJP government and demanded an immediate fire-safety audit of all hospitals in the state.
He also urged Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to ensure the safety of patients in government hospitals.
