Chandigarh: Another fire at PGI, battery spark cause this time too

Naina Mishra

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Chandigarh, October 16

Nehru Hospital at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) here has witnessed another major fire in a week, this time at the UPS (uninterruptible power supply) room of Advanced Eye Centre (AEC). The fire broke out at 9:25 am today.

Quality of batteries to be examined

In light of the incident, a team from the biomedical wing visited the scene to assess the condition of the UPS batteries. A critical examination of the battery quality is now being considered to determine whether these were performing up to standard or were of substandard quality. The biomedical wing is going to write to the company concerned.

The UPS room, which housed 68 batteries, maintains uninterrupted power supply to the operation theatres during eye surgeries.

Inquiry marked

An inquiry into the incident has been initiated by Dr Naresh Panda, who has been tasked with identifying the root cause of recurring fires.

Just a week after the devastating fire that ravaged Block C of Nehru Hospital, the institute found itself grappling with yet another fire crisis. Operations at the centre were suspended for a day as a precaution against power fluctuations, while OPD services were halted for two hours due to smoke in the building.

Why is UPS system needed in hospitals

There are numerous medical care equipment that require continuous power to operate efficiently. Even small interruptions in power can lead to equipment malfunction. The UPS system provides immediate electricity in the event of power supply failure. It’s different from a generator set, as during disruption or outage, power is provided instantaneously from batteries. A generator takes some time to start and stabilise.

As the fire erupted in the morning, over 600 outpatients were evacuated as a safety measure, and entry into the building was restricted. Three fire engines rushed to the spot. The source of the fire was again traced to UPS batteries. An electric wing employee, who was deputed at the 11 KV indoor substation in the basement of the centre, noticed flames and smoke billowing out of the locked UPS room after a blast in one of the batteries. Unable to find the room’s keys, staff members broke the door and tried to douse the flames with fire extinguishers, but in vain. The security guard was alerted and fire engines arrived there at 9:48 am. Three more fire vehicles were called from the Sector 11 fire station.

What went wrong

• Power fluctuations: The incident was triggered by power fluctuations, causing the power backup system to trip multiple times.
• UPS overload: Amid power fluctuations, the UPS system was activated to maintain power supply. However, it seems it couldn’t handle the load, potentially due to the repeated trippings.
• Spark in battery: There was a spark in one of the batteries in the UPS room, leading to the fire. The incident had a cascading effect, causing a blast in the 68 other batteries kept in the same room.
• Room locked: The UPS room was locked, which initially hindered employees’ efforts to douse the flames. An employee of the electricity wing forcefully opened the locked door.
• Sprinkler system fails: While Advanced Eye Centre has a sprinkler system, it failed to douse the flames as it wasn’t maintained properly.
• Extinguishers ineffective: Fire extinguishers were used to douse the fire, but proved of little help in containing the blaze.

The centre has a sprinkler system but it failed to contain the flames. It was reportedly not adequately maintained and didn’t function as intended. The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes, but the smoke had spread to the fourth floor, necessitating the immediate evacuation of the patients.

Eyewitness account

‘I entered the operation theatre at 9:30 am for my scheduled surgery. All of a sudden, there was smoke on the fourth floor. The security guard asked me to leave along with other patients.’

— Rohit (27), A local resident

‘I was at the OPD registration counters when smoke started filling the area. I rushed outside with my baby.’

— Dharmender, a resident of Baddi

Dr SS Pandav, Head, Advanced Eye Centre, said, “Owing to the early morning storm and thunder, the UT grid underwent a power fluctuation around that time, which caused the power backup system of the centre to trip a few times. During that moment, there was a spark in one of the batteries leading to the fire. The batteries were checked just four days ago.”