Panic after fire in private hospital, woman injured

LUCKNOW: An air-conditioning unit at Globe Medicare Hospital in Nirala Nagar caught fire here on Friday morning, triggering a stampede-like situation among patients and visitors amid a smoke build-up, officials said.

A 20-year-old woman, Vaishnavi Sahu, was injured when she fell from the second floor of the private hospital building in a bid to escape the fire.

Chief fire officer (CFO) Abhay Bhan Pandey said the fire was not a major one. It broke out in a split AC unit of a deluxe room of the hospital and the flames were doused in a few minutes, he said. The smoke build-up, caused by the burning of plastic material, led to a stampede-like situation, he said.

Inspector of Hasanganj police station Harprasad Ahirwar said a police team rushed to the spot after being informed about the stampede that followed the fire incident and the situation was controlled timely. He said hospital rooms were vacated with the help of fire services personnel.

CFO SAID THE FIRE WAS NOT MAJOR. IT BROKE OUT IN A SPLIT AC UNIT AND THE FLAMES WERE DOUSED IN MINUTES

He said only one person, Vaishanvi, was injured in the incident and she was undergoing treatment at another private hospital. No police complaint was lodged in the matter, he said.

Talking to reporters, Vaishnavi Sahu said the incident took place when she had gone to the hospital to meet her uncle Pramod Sahu, who was undergoing treatment for liver cirrhosis, around 8 am. She said she fell down from the second floor and suffered injury in her spine.

A similar stampede-like situation was witnessed when fire broke out on the second floor of King George Medical University’s trauma centre on July 15, 2017. There was panic among patients and visitors after a fire in the operating theatre of the Indira Gandhi Eye hospital a few months ago.