Fire breaks out in SMHS hospital, none injured

, Dec 15: In a second such incident in less than 12 hours, an Intensive care Unit (ICU) in one of the premier hospitals in

was partially damaged in a fire incident, officials said on Sunday.

Fire broke out in the ICU of Trauma section of SMHS Hospital in Srinagar around 9 pm last night resulting in partial damage to the unit, an official of Fire and Emergency Services said.

He said the fire, believed to be caused by an electric short-circuit, originated from the ICU on the second floor of the three-storey hospital building. An electric heater was on in the room which might have led to over-heating of the wires and caused short-circuit, he said. A laptop and two beds were also damaged in the incident, the official said.

The fire caused a panic among the patients and their attendants.

The fire caused a panic among the patients, their attendants and the hospital staff who rushed to safety, he said, adding however, no one was injured in the incident.

He said the fire was controlled from spreading to the adjacent units of the section as the department pressed seven fire tenders into service. Yesterday, the Out Patient Department (OPD) of Bone and Joint Hospital at Barzulla here was also damaged in a fire incident.

Valley’s premier maternity healthcare institute, Lal Ded Hospital, was also partially damaged because of fire on November 5.

PTI