Fire at hospital, video with fake news fans panic

GURUGRAM: Patients were evacuated from

Sheetla Hospital

on

New Railway Road

on Friday after a

fire

broke out in one of its private wards. Hospital sources said there was no casualty, and staff and patients were rescued by police and fire officials.

The fire, however, triggered a bigger panic after footage of the blaze was mischievously uploaded on YouTube as fake news of the Gurgaon hospital was under a terror attack.

A short circuit in an air conditioner installed on the first floor of the hospital triggered the blaze around 9.30am on Friday, police said. The smoke billowing from the ward soon spread to other wards and engulfed the entire floor of the hospital.

As many as 22 patients and 35 hospital staffers were inside the hospital when the fire broke out. They felt suffocated and found it hard to breathe.

Around 10 police personnel from the City police station and five fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The health department also sent half a dozen ambulances. The rescue teams broke window panes to contain the fire. It took more than an hour to control the situation, police said. The people trapped inside the hospital were rescued through windows by using hydraulic platforms. No casualty was reported, all patients were referred to other hospitals. Around half a dozen patients were admitted to the

General Hospital

in Civil Lines. Neetu, a patient who was shifted to the General Hospital, said she was “stuck in the room for almost 45 minutes”. “I was rescued by firefighters who broke the door to come inside. My two-month-old daughter fell ill after inhaling the smoke,” she said.

Dr. Ajay Sharma, director, Sheetla Hospital, said, “Safety has always been of utmost concern for us at Sheetla Hospital. The fire was brought under control within a few minutes. The fire was limited to only one room and no damage happened to any person or equipment.”

Deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh has ordered an inquiry. “We have asked the fire safety officer to investigate and file a report on the hospitals which are not complying with the fire safety norms,” he said.

Police said the cyber cell would investigate who uploaded the video of the hospital fire on You Tube claiming that it was a terror attack.


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