A major fire engulfed the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESI) hospital in Noida on Thursday morning.
“Five fire tenders were pressed into service. No loss of life or injuries have been reported. All the patients were safely evacuated,” said Kamlesh Mishra, Fire Safety Officer, Noida.
Mr Mishra told The Hindu there were 243 patients in the hospital out of which 43 were in the critical unit. They were shifted to nearby private hospitals and the government hospital.
Situated in Sector 24, ESI hospital is a seven-storey building.
‘Fire caused by sparks’
Mr Mishra said the hospital authorities had listed the time of the fire as 9.15 a.m. “We got the call at 9.40 a.m. The fire started from the basement in the battery bank. Prima facie, it seems the fire was caused by sparking in one of the battery’s terminal. It caused dark and dense smoke which causes suffocation. When we reached the spot, the building was filled with smoke,” he said.
Mr. Mishra pointed out the hospital lacked fire safety features.
“Fire safety equipment was not present on every floor and those which were there were not functioning properly. It was difficult to provide an outlet to the thick smoke. The fire was put out in half-an-hour but it took us more than three hours to get rid off the smoke.”
The officer admitted the patients had to spend time in the open before they were gradually shifted to nearby private hospitals and government hospital.
