Fire breaks out at Kolkata hospital's pharmacy department, doused hours later with no casualties; 250 patients evacuated

A fire broke out at Kolkata Medical College and Hospital’s pharmacy department on Wednesday morning. At least 10 fire engines were rushed to the spot. No casualties have been reported so far, Kolkata Police said. A senior fire official said the fire has been brought under control, CNN-News18 reported [caption id=“attachment_5305801” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the scene of the fire at Kolkata Medical College and Hospital. ANI[/caption] “I have been told that patients have been evacuated. We are looking into the incident,” Mayor Sovan Chattopadhyay told PTI. At least 250 patients were evacuated and were declared safe, ANI reported. Patients, who required immediate urgent care, were rushed to nearby hospitals in ambulances, while others have been kept on the floor of the hospital premises, NDTV reported. The preliminary investigation could not locate the cause of the fire,  CNN-News18 reported. Thick smoke was seen billowing from the ground floor of the hospital’s main building, where the dispensary is housed. The Indian Express reported that the fire broke out in the pharmacy department at 7.58 am. Smoke engulfed the building and the patients reportedly jumped out of windows to save themselves. While some are being moved to different blocks of the hospital, others could be seen lying on the floor. With inputs from PTI