Massive fire at Calcutta hospital claims life

A patient was killed after a major fire broke out at the Employees’ National Insurance (ESI) Sealdah hospital in Kolkata on Friday (October 18) morning.

The deceased was identified as Uttam Bardhan, who was undergoing treatment for cancer at the hospital. He complained of acute discomfort due to the smoke and was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the same hospital. However, all attempts by doctors to treat him failed and he died around 9:30 am.

The remaining patients were safely evacuated to other areas of the hospital. The fire was first noticed by a hospital staff member, who saw smoke coming from the men’s surgical ward on the first floor and informed authorities.

At least ten firefighters rushed to the scene to put out the fire. All 80 patients admitted to the men’s surgical ward of the hospital were safely evacuated by firefighters and staff of the National Disaster Management Department.

State Fire Minister Sujit Basu rushed to the hospital and supervised the firefighting operations and evacuation of patients. “The firefighters and firefighters did an excellent job. They managed to bring the fire under control in a very short time, which helped avoid losses. Fortunately, the fire broke out while the crowd in the hospital was not so strong,” the minister said.

Hospital authorities announced that the hospital’s outdoor unit would remain closed for the day.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, although firefighters suspect a short circuit to be the cause of the fire.

After being informed of the fire, family members of patients admitted to the hospital rushed to the spot. However, firefighters assured that everything was under control.