Bangalore prevents a AMRI repeat, saves patients from fire

Bangalore: A fire broke out today in a private multi-speciality hospital near the Karnataka capital but it was put off on time and there was no loss of life, fire officials said. The fire broke out due to a short-circuit in the basement where the uninterrupted power supply system was installed, causing thick blanket of smoke in the multi-storey Columbia Asia hospital building at Hebbal, they said.[caption id=“attachment_174723” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“AMRI Hospital on fire in Kolkata on 9 December 2011. AP”] [/caption] The hospital chairman Jayaram said all the 75 patients were “quickly” shifted to its Yeswanthpur unit and Baptist and Cauvery hospitals. “There are no casualties. No one was injured in the incident,” he told reporters. Three fire tenders were pressed into service to extinguish the blaze. According to an eye witness, the fire broke out at about 2.30pm and soon smoke engulfed the building. Though the fire was put-off, smoke was still emanating from the basement. City police commissioner Jyoti Prakash Mirji said a case has been registered against the hospital. The incident came close on the heels of the fire tragedy at AMRI hospital in Kolkata. On 9 December, the fire in AMRI Hospital had claimed 93 lives. PTI