CUTTACK/BHUBANESWAR : At least 10 patients, including a 101-year-old man, died after a deadly fire broke out in the trauma care ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in the wee hours of Monday.
Four patients, who were rescued from the ICU, are stated to be in critical condition and admitted to other critical care units in the hospital. Around 11 hospital staff have suffered injuries while trying to evacuate the patients.
According to reports, 14 patients were admitted to the 23-bed ICU located on the first floor of the four-storey trauma care building. The fire is believed to have started from an electric short circuit in the air conditioner at around 2.40 am.
The hospital and the ICU staff were the first responders but the blaze became uncontrollable and soon smoke and flames engulfed the unit. As most of the patients were on ventilator and oxygen support, freeing them from the medical support systems and evacuating them proved a herculean task.
Sources said the water sprinklers on the first floor did not function, nor did the alert go off. The general electricity department (GED) had, for some reason, deactivated the alert system while the public health engineering organisation, in charge of water supply, had not filled the sprinkler network.
The hospital staff employed fire extinguishers to put out the blaze inside the ICU in the first instance. “When the flames started leaping, the call went out to the fire station unit on the hospital premises at 2.58 am. The 15-20 minutes did matter,” they said.
Sources said, while three of the 14 patients were charred to death, seven others succumbed to asphyxiation. The rest four were rescued in critical condition.
The evacuation was carried out by using stretchers through stairs as power supply was cut off resulting in halting of the lift service after the fire broke out.
The premier medical college and hospital’s dedicated fire service unit also swung into action. Fire personnel from the Cuttack fire station rushed to the spot to assist in firefighting and rescue operations. At least three fire tenders and over 30 personnel were pressed into service. The fire on the first floor was brought under control which prevented its spread to the other three floors of the building, preventing loss of more lives.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi rushed to the hospital in the morning immediately after being informed of the incident. He took stock of the situation, including treatment of the rescued patients and interacted with the injured staff. The chief minister ordered a judicial probe into the incident while announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
Majhi said, the judicial probe will assess lapses in fire safety protocols and strict action will be taken against anyone found responsible. Expressing his condolences to the families of the deceased, he directed the hospital authorities that other ICU patients be provided the best of treatment.
He also said the state government has been enhancing fire safety across hospitals in the state. In the state budget 2024-25, he said, the government had provisioned Rs 320 crore for upgradation of fire safety and work is underway. In last year’s budget, another Rs 400 crore had been allocated,” he added.
President of India Droupadi Murmu expressed grief saying she was deeply distressed by the loss of lives in the tragic fire incident. “My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” she stated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Majhi to take stock of the matter. The chief minister said he had a detailed discussion with the PM about the rescue and relief measures as well as treatment for the injured. “I informed the PM about the judicial probe order into the fire mishap. All our departments and teams are making a concerted effort. I thank the PM for his compassion and support in the time of need,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s Office also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMRF for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also expressed deep grief over the fire incident. Naveen also visited the hospital in the evening.
Speaking to mediapersons, Naveen said he was very distressed after learning about the incident. “At the time of my government, we had taken steps to make this medical college and hospital into a world-class healthcare institution and wanted to complete it within two years. Unfortunately, the present government has done nothing about it,” Naveen said while praying for the swift recovery of the injured.
