Fire breaks out at Noida's ESI Hospital; at least six fire tenders deployed for fire-fighting, rescue operations

A fire broke out at the ESIC Hospital in Noida on Thursday morning, in which no injuries were reported. The blaze broke out in the basement of the seven-storey hospital located in Sector 24, PTI reported. All patients and their attendees and the hospital staff were safely evacuated.

#UPDATE Fire broke out in ESIC hospital in Noida Sector-24, six fire tenders at the spot, people including patients evacuated https://t.co/COoFHkoJLf pic.twitter.com/aVdt4gCZ1n

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 9, 2020

Around 10 patients are lying on the open ground in the hospital premises and the administration is planning to shift them to nearby hospitals, officials said. The fire department was informed about the blaze at 9.30 am. As per a Times of India report, at least six fire tenders were rushed to the spot to carry out fire-fighting and rescue operations. The blaze was controlled within two hours, a fire department official told PTI. Indian Express that the suspected cause for the fire might be short circuit. However, other reports said that the cause is yet to be ascertained and the damage is to be assessed. Serious lapses in safety were reported from the hospital. News18 reported that the fire alarm did not ring when the blaze broke out in the building that also has no ramps. Only two-three fire fighting systems were reportedly functional, further complicating evacuation process as the fire brigade had to go outside every time for a refill. Mock fire drills at the hospital were also organised in an erratic manner, with the latest held last month. The blaze came on the same day as a fire at a printing press in Delhi’s Patparganj, in which a 25-year-old man from Bihar died.