Kolkata: A major fire broke out at Sealdah ESI Hospital here on Friday morning, a fire official said. Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control after two hours, he said. There are no reports of any casualty in the fire, the official said.
West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose rushed to the hospital after receiving reports of the fire. The minister said the fire broke out around 5:30 am. It was under now control and the cooling process is being carried out, he said.
Asked about the claim of a patient's family about the death of the patient, the minister said it was yet to be ascertained whether the death was due to fire-induced suffocation or natural cause.
A senior ESI hospital official said the fire first started on the first floor of the men's surgical ward. All the patients were safely evacuated, with some transferred to other facilities. Around 50 patients were shifted to the Maniktala ESI Hospital, she said.
"The hospital's water sprinkler system was still under construction. Although fire extinguishers were available, they were not sufficient for such a large fire, which caused extensive damage to the ward," the official added.
West Bengal Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak said preliminary reports indicated the fire was caused by a short circuit. A detailed investigation would be carried out, he said.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma visited the hospital and said a forensic team would visit the health facility.
