Lucknow. There was chaos at King George Medical University (KGMU) in the capital Lucknow late on Thursday night when a fire broke out due to a short circuit in the electrical panel in the basement of the General Surgery Department. The smoke rising from the fire in the basement reached the pediatric surgery ward located on the first floor through the ducts and windows. Within no time the ward was filled with smoke. At the time of the incident, about 50 children were admitted in the ward. After the smoke increased, doctors, hospital staff and attendants together took the children out safely.
As soon as information about the fire was received, there was panic in the hospital administration. First of all, giving priority to the safety of the patients, the process of evacuating the children admitted in the ward was started. Amidst the smoke, the doctors and staff of the hospital took the children one by one to a safe place. The attendants also cooperated in the rescue operation. This helped in controlling the situation quickly.
Ward filled with smoke
The smoke from the fire, which broke out due to a short circuit in the electrical panel in the basement, reached the upper floors. Smoke entered the pediatric surgery ward through ducts and windows. Within a short time, the smoke in the ward increased so much that it became difficult for the patients and attendants present there to live.
Due to the large number of children admitted in the ward, the challenge before the hospital administration was serious. It was necessary to immediately take the children to a safe place. In such a situation, the doctors and staff started the rescue operation without wasting any time. Small children were taken out in their arms and given necessary medical assistance.
ICU children also shifted
In view of the incident, the hospital administration also paid special attention to the safety of the children admitted in the ICU along with the Pediatric Surgery Ward. The children admitted in the ICU were also shifted to another place as a precautionary measure. While shifting patients in critical condition, their medical needs were also taken care of.
The biggest challenge for the hospital administration was that the patients should not have trouble breathing due to the smoke. Exposure to smoke could be especially risky for children and ICU patients. Therefore, it was considered necessary to immediately take them to a safe place.
The rescue operation lasted for about three hours
After the incident, the relief and rescue operation continued for about three hours. During this time, the staff and related teams present in the hospital premises worked continuously to control the fire and expel the smoke. Due to fire in the basement, it was challenging to reach there and assess the situation.
Due to fire and smoke, there was an atmosphere of panic for some time among the patients present in the hospital and their families. However, a major accident was averted as the children were taken to a safe place in time. During the rescue operation, the hospital’s priority remained to evacuate patients and maintain medical services.
Fire due to short circuit in electrical panel
According to preliminary information, the fire started after a short circuit in the electrical panel installed in the basement of the General Surgery Department. After the fire in the electrical equipment, the smoke spread rapidly upwards. In a sensitive place like a hospital, the risk of fire in the electrical panel increases further, because patients, medical equipment and other essential resources are present nearby.
After the incident, it is natural to raise questions regarding power supply and fire safety arrangements. The reasons for the incident and the security arrangements are being reviewed by the hospital administration. It will also be important that a detailed inspection of the electrical panels, wiring and fire safety system is done to ensure that such incidents do not happen again in future.
Doctors and staff showed promptness
The promptness of doctors, staff and attendants was important during this incident. After smoke filled the ward, instead of creating any kind of chaos, the focus was on evacuating the children safely. Considering the condition of the children admitted in the hospital, taking them to a safe place was not an easy task.
Especially extra precautions had to be taken while shifting the children admitted in the ICU. The medical staff shifted the patients to other places according to their condition, so that there was no hindrance in the treatment.
Hospital saved from major accident
Due to the large number of patients in a big medical institution like KGMU, even a small incident of fire can turn serious. In this incident, despite the smoke coming from the basement reaching the first floor, the children were rescued safely in time. This did not lead to any major loss of life.
The incident has once again highlighted the need for regular checks of fire safety and electrical systems in hospitals. There is a constant load on the electrical panels and wiring in hospitals. In such a situation, regular checking of fire alarm, smoke detection system, emergency evacuation route and fire fighting equipment is very important to deal with incidents like short circuit.
At present, all the children in this incident have been taken out safely. The situation was brought under control after a rescue operation that lasted for about three hours. After the incident, it will be important for the hospital administration to review the security arrangements and investigate the actual cause of the fire, so that such incidents can be prevented from recurring in future.
