Fire broke out at associated hospital of Government Medical College, Baramulla on Monday—causing partial damage to one of the corridor of the hospital building, said a fire service official.
The incident occurred at around 12.20 pm when hospital was witnessing huge patient influx and suddenly fire emerged in one section of the hospital building on ground floor—resulting in damage to stored expired medicine, furniture and to corridor near Orthopedic and Surgery section of the hospital.
Station Master, Fire and Emergency Service Department, Baramulla, Ghulam Rasool Malik, said that soon after receiving information about the fire, several fire tenders were pressed in to service and fire was immediately brought under control.
“The main corridor were several items including bootless furniture, expired medicine were stored suffered damage. Besides ceiling of the corridor too suffered damage,” he said.
Following the fire incident, the hospital employees started evacuating patients from the hospital building. The entire building was immersed in smoke; however, all the patients were evacuated safely.
Though officials of the Government Medical College Baramulla said that the fire was caused due to the electric short circuit, however, eyewitness said that the fire caused after some Municipal council employees set garbage which was placed on the ground near a hospital block on fire.
“Some municipal council employees had set garbage on fire with the result window of the building caught fire,” said Farooq Ahmad an eyewitness.
The Chairman Municipal Council Baramulla, Omar Kakroo said that the hospital authorities had earlier asked for the removal of garbage and we have sent some employees there for the job.
“The cause of the fire is not known, however, we were asked by the hospital authorities for the removal of garbage and we dispatched our men for the job,” he said.