Staff member dies, two hurt as fire breaks out at hospital

A devastating fire broke out at a private hospital in the Anand Vihar area, East Delhi, on Saturday afternoon, leaving one staff member dead and two others injured.

The fire was so intense that patients and staff members had to be evacuated by breaking the glass windows of the hospital.

According to the Delhi Police, a PCR call was received at 12:20 pm regarding the fire at a private hospital. The blaze broke out in the server room on the ground floor of the three-storey hospital.

Thick smoke engulfed the building, prompting an urgent rescue operation. Eight fire tenders, along with teams from the Delhi Police, were rushed to the spot.

Eight patients, including those in critical condition, and three staff members, Amit, a housekeeping staff, Har Devi and Naresh, dialysis room employees, were rescued and shifted to Pushpanjali Hospital, where Amit was declared dead.

The police said Amit was initially on the roof. He later locked himself in a bathroom on the third floor.

“We had to use oxygen cylinders to enter the building filled with smoke. Visibility was almost zero, and staying inside for even a few minutes was making it hard to breathe,” said fire officer Ashok Kumar Jaiswal. The fire was brought under control after nearly two hours.

A case under Sections 287 and 106(1) (negligent conduct concerning fire or combustible matter, and causing death by negligence) of the BNS had been registered against the owner of the hospital. Further investigation was underway, said an official.