As many as 40 people, including 16 patients, in a private hospital in Rajanakunte had a narrow escape after a fire broke out in the basement of a three-storeyed private hospital in Rajanukunte on Tuesday (May 7) morning.
The fire was first noticed in the basement area near the lab of Raksha Health Care at around 9 a.m., where heavy machinery was kept. The smoke that spread all around created panic among the staff, visitors, and patients. The fire control room received a call around 9.15 a.m. following which six fire tenders rushed to the spot.
Meanwhile, staff, visitors, and residents staying in and around rushed to help, shifted the patients, and evacuated the building.
According to the fire department, the fire broke out in the lab in the basement of the 50-bed private hospital. Though the blaze did not spread to the ground and the three upper floors of the building, the entire hospital was engulfed in thick smoke. The patients, including two in the ICU, were shifted to the nearest hospital and their condition is said to be stable.
“All patients are stable. Two of the staff members sustained minor injuries during the evacuation. A few others complained of uneasiness and suffocation because of the thick smoke that engulfed the building,” a senior official said.
It took nearly two hours to bring the fire under control. Though an electric short circuit is suspected to have caused the fire, the police and fire officials are probing to ascertain the exact reason behind the accident.
