Prelim investigation revealed a short circuit lead to fire in new OPD block states MS IGMC
Shimla, April 27
According to Dr Rahul Rao, the Medical Superintendent of the institution, the preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was caused due to a short circuit and only one part of the top floor area was damaged because of the flames. The other part of the floor and building were secured due to the efforts of the IGMC security staff and fire fighters.” The fire took place in the attic and in one part of it,” he stated to media in a video interview.
Dr Rao stated that everyone was safely evacuated from the affected premises. He further added that no serious causalities were reported in the incident.
Initially, there were reports on social media claiming that there were casualties in the incident, but these reports were found to be false. Several pictures and videos of the incident flooded social media, causing panic and confusion among the public.
Also read: IGMC new OPD block catches Fire, cause under investigation
The hospital administration has assured that all necessary measures were taken to control the fire, and the situation is under control now. He said that the technical teams are visiting the affected location, and whether operations in the new block will resume today or not, will be ascertained in a couple of hours.
He said that meanwhile, if any patients are to visit the hospital in case of emergency the hospital has resumed its operations, and patients are being treated at the other emergency in block B.
The incident has once again raised concerns about the safety measures in public buildings and the need for regular safety checks to prevent such incidents in the future.
The hospital authorities have promised to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and take appropriate measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Pertinent to mention that the Supreme court of India in 2021, had laid specific guidelines, about fire safety regulations for COVID hospitals in every State and UT. One of key direction of the apex court was to conduct a fire safety audit, every month.
Meanwhile, the state government has expressed its gratitude to the security staff and fire fighters who acted swiftly to control the fire and ensure the safety of everyone present in the hospital premises. The government has promised to provide all necessary support to the hospital administration to restore normalcy at the earliest.
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