A fire broke out in a private health facility in Rajanukunte in the northern outskirts of the city on Tuesday morning. With the alertness and quick action of the local crowd, 16 patients and 30 staff members from Raksha Hospital escaped safely from the fire and were rescued. The fire and thick smoke were noticed in the basement in the morning. Patients were on the first, second, and third floors. Thick smoke resulted in poor visibility and difficulties in breathing. According to eyewitnesses, a group of about 15 local residents in their 20s swung into action. They helped the people stuck inside to evacuate the hospital. At one point patients and people stuck inside, complained of burning of their eyes and were finding it difficult to breathe.
The two patients who were on the ventilator were the last ones to be brought out safely. Hospital In-charge Shruti said, “For the first time, after reporting for duty, I delayed going to the storeroom. The fire spread to the adjacent rooms like the laboratory, oxygen storage area and the ground floor. The locals helped and rescued everyone,” she added. Jay Kumar, a mason working at an under-construction building 200m from Raksha Hospital saw a thick black smoke coming out of the hospital. He said, “I called up the boys who work with me and asked them to bring big ropes and ladder.
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Entering the first and second floors was not that easy. We broke the window glasses and sidewalls to release the smoke. Through pipeline and grills we entered the second floor to save people as there was poor visibility due to dense smoke.” Later, these local residents called the fire and emergency services and ambulances from the nearby hospitals. Authorities are finding out the actual cause of the fire.