Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
A fire broke out at Gajanan Hospital and Critical Care Centre near Gajanan Maharaj Temple Chowk on Sunday at around 7.45 pm, reportedly due to a short circuit in the ICU air-conditioning unit. Though the ICU was extensively damaged, all nine admitted patients were safely shifted and no injuries were reported.
At the time of the incident, five patients were in the ICU and four in the general ward. As smoke was noticed emerging from the ICU, doctors and staff acted swiftly, evacuating all patients and transferring them to other private hospitals in the city through six ambulances. Hospital staff and doctors were also safely evacuated. The fire spread to ICU curtains, mattresses and other materials. Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot with two fire tenders and battled the blaze for nearly two-and-a-half hours. The ICU unit’s glass panels were eventually broken to douse the flames, and the fire was brought under control by around 10 pm. The incident caused major damage to ICU equipment, including ventilators, monitors, an X-ray machine, furniture and other materials.
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Dr. Gitesh Dalvi, director of the hospital, said that as soon as smoke was detected in the ICU, all patients were immediately shifted to Vaidyanath Hospital. The fire brigade was alerted and responded promptly, bringing the situation under control. He confirmed that fortunately, no one was injured. Municipal commissioner G. Sreekanth and deputy Mayor Rajendra Janjal called to inquire about the incident and extended support.
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Firefighting team
Chief fire officer Ashok Khandekar, along with officers Vijay Rathod and firefighters Ramesh Sonawane, Deepraj Gangawane, Chhatrapati Kankane, Ashok Pote, Sheikh Sameer, Sangram More, Sachin Shinde, Ravi Dudhe and Amitabh Karad, carried out the operation with two fire tenders and a rescue vehicle.
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Crowd gathers
As the hospital is located near Gajanan Maharaj Temple Chowk, a large crowd gathered at the site. Police temporarily closed the road towards Garkheda to manage the situation.