A fire incident occurred at the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital in Hazaribagh late on Tuesday night, narrowly avoiding a major disaster. The fire originated in the labor room, with around 40 to 50 patients present in the ward at the time. The sudden appearance of flames and smoke led to widespread panic and distress among patients and their families. Investigations revealed the fire was started by an incense stick lit by a patient’s relative to repel mosquitoes. Sparks from the incense are believed to have ignited an oxygen pipe, resulting in a rapid spread of the fire and smoke filling the ward. Recognizing the urgency, hospital staff promptly initiated the evacuation of patients. The combined efforts of the hospital staff and the patients’ families proved crucial in averting a more severe outcome. All patients were safely removed from the area before any injuries occurred. The hospital staff were able to extinguish the fire with the help of fire extinguishers.
The fire department was notified, however, the fire was brought under control before their arrival. The incident fortunately resulted in no loss of life or injuries. Upon learning of the fire, Ranjan Choudhary, representing MP Manish Jaiswal, visited the site to assess the damage and expressed concern about the hospital management’s handling of the situation. He emphasized the importance of the rapid response of the hospital staff in preventing a tragedy. The hospital management has pledged to reinforce safety measures, issue new guidelines to prevent future incidents, and provide the hospital staff with specialized emergency response training.