A fire broke out in the old building of the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Science (VIMS) hospital in Ballari on Wednesday morning. There were no causalities reported but the fire, which started at around 7 a.m., took nearly two hours to be put out.
The fire broke out in the old maternity ward, what now appears to be a storeroom, filled with carton boxes and empty containers, old furniture and other waste material. The maternity ward and paediatric ward which are closer to the building were shifted immediately as the heat from the fire and smoke engulfed the entire hospital premises.
Director of VIMS Krishnappa said that a proposal has been made to demolish the dilapidated building and “we are waiting for approval”. Last year, a man died after a portion of the roof of the same building collapsed, he added.
Hospital Superintendent Srinivas said that a similar fire had broken out in the building three days ago. Dr. Srinivas refuted claims that the fire was caused by short circuit as electricity supply to the building had been disconnected. The exact reason can only be ascertained only after investigation, he said.
Three teams of Fire and Emergency Services were deployed to bring the blaze under control. GESCOM officials visited the hospital.
A case has been registered at Kaul Bazaar police station.
