Chandigarh: A massive fire broke out on the first floor of the Nehru Hospital at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh in the early hours of Tuesday. According to senior officials, all the patients were evacuated and the fire was doused prior to any major damage. The patients admitted to the emergency ward were also shifted to safe zones. The hospital houses several wards and administrative offices.
According to official sources, the fire broke out in the computer room of the hospital at around 12:22 a.m. which spread further. The hospital administration responded immediately and the patients were shifted to safe zones. Fire brigade teams of the hospital tried to douse the fire but the fire started spreading further. Fire tenders from Sector 17 were rushed to the spot and the blaze was doused.
Sources said that a total of 415 patients including those admitted in the emergency ward of the hospital were evacuated and shifted to the safe zone. Pregnant women who were admitted here were shifted to another building. Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire broke out because of a short circuit in the computer room.
Also read: 3 of a family, livestock charred to death after truck catches fire due to short-circuit in Aravali
Dr. Vivek Lal, Director of PGIMER, Chandigarh said that no one was harmed in this fire incident. No patient lost his or her life. He said that the Chandigarh administration swung into action immediately as they received information about the fire. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was doused. The situation is under control and the restoration work has also begun, he added.
