Fire Scare in Children’s Ward at Nellore GGH; Patients Evacuated Safely

Nellore: A fire broke out in the maternity and children’s ward (MCH Block) of the Nellore Government General Hospital (GGH) on Sunday, triggering brief panic among patients and attendants. No injuries were reported.

The fire is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit from the stabiliser of an air-conditioning unit, following which power supply to the affected block was immediately cut.

Firefighting personnel, hospital staff and security staff responded swiftly and brought the situation under control. Officials said two hospital beds were damaged in the incident.

As a precautionary measure, 43 children from the High Dependency Unit (HDU) and Labour HD ward were safely evacuated. In addition, 13 newborn babies were shifted to the Trauma Care Unit to ensure uninterrupted medical care. All 113 patients in the MCH block were shifted to other wards.

District collector Himanshu Shukla said the fire occurred due to a short circuit and assured that the situation was fully under control.

“All patients are safe. Security staff acted promptly and shifted patients to the first floor, IP block and the Trauma Care Unit as a precaution,” he said, appealing to the public not to panic.

The collector and Superintendent of Police Dr Ajitha Vejendla visited the hospital and monitored the situation. Authorities said steps were initiated to restore power supply at the earliest.

Medical and health minister Satya Kumar directed medical education officials and the hospital superintendent to ensure that patients did not face any inconvenience. He also instructed authorities to implement strict preventive measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents.

Hospital officials said there was no disruption to medical services and patient care continued uninterrupted. The Hospital Superintendent reiterated that adequate safety protocols were in place and being further strengthened.