A fire incident at the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital in Hazaribagh narrowly avoided a major tragedy on Tuesday night. The fire originated in the labor room late at night, with around 40-50 patients present in the ward. The sudden appearance of flames and smoke caused immediate panic and distress among the patients and their families. The investigation revealed that the fire was initiated by an incense stick, lit by a patient’s family member to ward off mosquitoes. The sparks from the incense are believed to have ignited an oxygen pipe. The ensuing fire spread quickly, filling the ward with smoke. Hospital staff immediately mobilized to move patients to safety. The combined efforts of hospital personnel and the patients’ families ensured that a potentially devastating situation was averted. All patients were safely evacuated before any harm could occur. The staff managed to extinguish the fire using fire-fighting equipment.
Although the fire department was alerted, the fire was brought under control before their arrival. There were no casualties or injuries reported. Ranjan Choudhary, the representative of MP Manish Jaiswal, visited the site to assess the situation and expressed concern regarding the hospital management’s handling of the incident. He emphasized that the swift action of the staff and families was crucial in preventing a worse outcome. Hospital management has pledged to reinforce safety measures, implement new guidelines to prevent future occurrences, and provide emergency response training to hospital staff.