Firefighters douse blaze at Delhi's Metro Hospital in Preet Vihar; all patients evacuated, shifted to nearby facilities

New Delhi: A major fire broke out at a hospital in east Delhi’s Preet Vihar on Saturday and 92 patients were evacuated from the building, officials said. Some patients suffered minor injuries in the fire that broke out on the second floor of the Metro Hospital and Cancer Institute, the police said. “The fire broke out on the second floor of the hospital. When I arrived the hospital, I saw smoke coming out from that floor,” a hospital official told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_2751992” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] “We immediately evacuated all patients and staff. Of the 92 patients admitted in the hospital, 43 were sent to Metro Hospital in Noida, while others were moved to Max Patparganj and government hospitals nearby,” the official said. He said everyone was evacuated from the five-storeyed building and no casualty or major injury was reported. At the time of the incident, 240 staffers were present in the hospital. The fire started in an air conditioning vent and then spread to other floors, a senior police officer said. A senior officer of Delhi Fire Services said a call was received at 3.20 pm alerting them about the blaze, which intensified in the next 20 minutes. Twelve fire tenders were rushed to the spot, he said. “But it was controlled by 4.15 pm and completely doused by 4.50 pm,” the official said. Cooling operation was underway, the police said, adding that some patients suffered minor injuries in the incident. The fire department official said that nearly 51 persons, including 40 patients were evacuated by the firefighters using a hydraulic lift. The others, who were stuck there, were evacuated by the time the firefighters reached the spot. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the police said, adding it is suspected that a short-circuit triggered the blaze. The fire department will submit a preliminary report to the district administration, following which the exact reason of the fire would be known, a senior police officer said.