Hyderabad, February 03: About 40 patients, their attendants and hundreds of staff of a super speciality hospital at Somajiguda found themselves in the jaws of death after a major fire broke out in the building on Tuesday. A 75-year-old man, who was undergoing treatment in the hosptial, died later.
Lack of fire safety mechanisms in the hospital and delay on the part of the AP Fire Services Department forced panic-stricken people trapped inside the Park Super Speciality Hospital to run from one floor to the other in a desperate bid to save themselves.
A few jumped from the fourstoreyed building and in the process, suffered severe injuries. About 42 persons suffered injuries and burns and of them, the condition of six is said to be critical.
It was around 9.30 a.m., that fire broke out in Park Super Speciality Hospital, located in the lane next to the Yashoda Hospital in Somajiguda.
Nearly 250 persons including 39 patients were inside the hospital at the time. The fire broke out on the ground floor and spread to all the other floors within no time. The otherwise peaceful premises soon reverberated with desperate cries for help.
Many of them fainted because of suffocation.
It is learnt that nearly six patients were inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) when the fire broke out.
With no other option left, about 10 persons including two nurses — Pushpa and Usha — and a duty medical officer Dr Sheetal smashed the glass panes with some object and jumped from the second and third floors. Some of them suffered severe head injuries. Their condition is said to be critical.
Several nurses ran to the terrace. Soon, West zone DCP Stephen Ravindra accompanied by Punjagutta police made their way through the thick smoke and flames and rescued the nurses.
‘‘Another nurse suffered cardiac arrest but after giving treatment, she recovered and her condition is stable. Of the 43 persons admitted to the hospital, six continue to be in a critical condition,’’ Yashoda hospital ENT specialist K Shastri told Express.
Dr Ramana Reddy of the Yashoda Hospital said one Mangaiah died due to sepplipeemia. ’’When he was brought to the hospital, he was unconscious,‘‘ he said.
Eye-witnesses said fire tenders reached the spot almost 45 minutes after the fire broke out. But fortunately for the trapped patients and staff, it was Stephen Ravindra and his team who arrived in the nick of time as saviours.
But the task was not easy for them. They smashed the window panes of the building and shifted those trapped onto the portico adjacent to the building.
It took nearly two hours for the fire-fighters to bring the fire under control after 10 fire tenders were pressed into service.
Director General (Fire Services) Aruna Bahuguna said that the Park Super Speciality Hospital had no fire safety measures in place. ’’We are yet to ascertain the cause of fire. Preliminary investigation revealed that sparks emanated from a nearby transformer. After inspecting the building, we found that there were absolutely no fire safety measures. Even the fire extinguishers were not working,’’ Bahuguna said.
–Agencies