Fire breaks out in basement of hospital in Rajanukunte, all shifted to safety

BENGALURU: A major fire broke out at the basement of a hospital at Rajanukunte on the outskirts of the city on Tuesday morning, suspectedly due to an electrical short circuit. Luckily, all those in the hospital were rescued and there was no loss of life.

Locals helped the authorities evacuate the hospital and control the blaze.

Thick smoke engulfed the area after the fire broke out in the basement of Raksha Healthcare where the lab and OPD is situation. Along with that, some medical equipment and a generator were installed there.

As soon as the smoke was detected, the locals, along with the hospital staff, moved out all those in the hospital to safety. There were 14 patients in the hospital and some paramedical staff on the third floor of the building.

Six fire tenders were called in to fight the blaze. The hospital had fire safety measures, but apparently, no one knew how to use them. The damage could have been reduced if fire extinguishers had been used as soon as the fire was noticed, according to Additional SP Nagaraj.

“The police, along with the cooperation of the locals, managed to evacuate everyone in the hospital. The Fire and Emergency Services personnel were successful in preventing the fire from reaching the second and third floors. All the patients were shifted to Chiguru Hospital”, the officer added.

In another incident, a spa was gutted at Neeladri Nagar in Electronics City in the wee hours on Tuesday. It is suspected that a lamp which was lit in the spa, located on the third floor of a building, may have caused the fire.

The Fire and Emergency Services personnel could bring the blaze under control only by daybreak. The loss is estimated to be around Rs 10 lakh, the officials said.