VIJAYAWADA: Fire broke out at Sentini Hospital in Vijayawada on Tuesday. However, none was injured. A major mishap was averted due to the alert hospital staff. Following the incident, around 150 patients, including 20 in critical care units, have been shifted to other hospitals. Fire erupted in the hospital due to short circuit in the uninterrupted power supply system attached to the MRI scanning unit located on the first floor of the five-storied building.
Heavy smoke engulfed the MRI room and it spread fast to the air condition chambers. The heavy smoke led to ringing of the fire alarm and the hospital authorities immediately activated the evacuation procedure. The COO of Sentini Hospital V. Sandeep said there are around 150 in patients and more than 200 out patients. The first floor where the fire broke has outpatient blocks and diagnosis wings. “As soon as we heard the alarm, we started the evacution procedure. There were around 20 patients in the intensive care units and 2 people were being operated. All the patients have been sent safely shifted to the nearby hospitals, including those in the ICU and operation theatres,” he said.
Paruchuri Prasad, an eye witness to the incident, who took his dad for the check-up said, smoke started to come out from the MRI unit. “By the time we could understand what has happened it engulfed entire room. The doctors and other staff responded quickly and evacuated us,” he observed. Another attendant G. Satish, who came along with his mother and was on the second floor said, “We senses some foul smell and by the time we could recognise what it was, the hospital staff came to us and evacuated us.” Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately and the flames were doused.
More than 15 ambulances were rushed to the spot to shift the patients. The director general of fire services, K. Satyanarayana visited the spot and took stock the situation. He said the hospital has got all the fire safety permissions. As only one exhaust window was present, smoke engulfed the entire hospital and this made the situation worse, he observed. Minister for health Kamineni Srinivas also enquired about the incident and asked the officials to submit a report on the fire accident.
