A fire broke out on Monday afternoon at the Sadguru Covid Hospital at Jagatpur on the outskirts of the city, where nearly 130 Covid-19 patients were undergoing treatment.

“All the patients were rescued safely and they were immediately shifted to the nearby Covid facilities,” informed Cuttack district Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani.

Central Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) Anil Biswal ordered an administrative inquiry into the fire mishap after visiting the hospital.The fire broke out in one of the ICU wards on the third floor of the four-storied hospital when attendants first saw smoke billowing from one of the ACs fitted in the ward. Soon, the ward, where six critical patients were on ventilators, was filled with smoke and the hospital staffs rushed to the ward carrying fire extinguishers, said a doctor of the hospital.

  Sources said the hospital on the day was having at least ten pregnant women undergoing treatment for corona and six new mothers, who had come under the scalpel for caesarian section in the last one week. “All the pregnant women and the six mothers with their babies were rescued safely and shifted to other hospitals,” said a gynaecologist of the hospital.   

“All the critical patients in the ICU were first rescued safely by the hospital staffs and subsequently, the remaining wards located in other floors were vacated,” Collector Chayani said, adding that a bus and at least 12 ambulances were pressed into operation to shift the patients to at least six other Covid facilities in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Chief Fire Officer Sukant Sethi said the fire was brought under control within 10 minutes of the arrival of at least five fire tenders.

 “The cause of the fire will be known after investigations,” Sethi said, adding that nn electric short circuit cannot be ruled out as the cause of the blaze.Later, the State Government ordered a probe into the fire at the hospital and sought a report within 24 hours. Health Minister Naba Kishore Das directed the Fire and Electricity departments to jointly inquire into the incident.

Chief Fire Officer Sethi said the hospital did not have the required fire safety certificate and the hospital authorities had applied for fire safety documents.

During a recent inspection of the hospital, it had been found that there were some lapses on the part of the hospital. Following this, the hospital installed fire extinguishers, due to which a bigger mishap was averted, he added.