One dead, 80 trapped patients were rescued after a massive fire broke out at Sealdah ESI Hospital in Kolkata on Friday, October 18. The blaze erupted at the facility's ground floor on Friday morning due to a short circuit, reported news agency ANI.
The blaze erupted at 5 am on Friday and upon receiving information, tenders of the fire brigade arrived at the spot and managed to control the blaze. District Fire Officer TK Dutta said that the fire was a major one and led to the death of one patient in the ICU.
"It was a very major fire. We rescued all the patients who were trapped inside, there were nearly 80 of them. However, one patient who was admitted to the ICU died, but there has been no other casualty. The fire could be seen till the top floor of the hospital," Dutta said.
Speaking to ANI, Mondal said "The room that caught fire, there was a fibre door. I switched off my alarm at 4:40 am...after some time, I saw fire and smoke started entering our room. I started calling for help. Then, the staff came and I was brought down in a wheelchair."
Also Read | Delhi Fire: Massive Blaze Erupts at Chemical Warehouse in Kailashpuri.
Another patient in the hospital said that he heard sirens ringing when the fire broke out and rushed down to escape. "We saw the fire at 3 am and we had heard the sirens ringing. We heard people yelling and saw a room on fire when we came out. All our papers are still in the hospital. The AC in the hospital had a short circuit which led to the fire," he said.
Kolkata Hospital Fire
"The fire incident is a very unfortunate one. However, right now there is no time to hold any responsible. The incident occurred due to a short circuit. 80 to 81 people were rescued however one cancer patient died due to the smoke. 54 patients have been transferred to another hospital," the TMC leader said.
"The cause of the fire is a short circuit. Nearly 80 patients were trapped since the fire broke out on the ground floor. Right above the fire was the oncology department, which was filled with smoke and one patient unfortunately lost his life... The administration, police, and fire department did a good job at rescuing the patients. 10 engines of the fire department are working here. 54 patients have been transferred from Sealdah ESI to Maniktala ESI," said TMC leader Kunal Ghosh.
(With inputs from agencies)