Bengaluru: A minor fire broke out at Dr.Malathi Manipal Hospital in Jayanagar 9th Block, creating panic among patients and hospital staff on Wednesday morning. No casualties were reported as fire officials responded quickly.
As many as 40 patients, including nine people at the Intensive Care Unit, were shifted to a safe spot within the hospital and some to Manipal Hospital on the Old Airport Road soon after the fire was noticed on the first floor of the three-storey building.
According to the hospital, the staff noticed smoke after a short-circuit in the UPS room, but no major fire was found. Soon enough, two fire tenders were rushed to the spot which managed to control the fire.
“All the affected patients were evacuated to a safe spot within the hospital and the situation was managed before a fire could break out. A few patients were also shifted to the main Manipal Hospital at Old Airport Road and the rest were moved back to their respective rooms in Malathi Manipal Hospitals. There are no injuries or casualties and all our patients and staff are completely safe.
The hospital is fully compliant with the fire-safety norms and regular fire drills are performed with all staff. As a result, the incident was detected well in time and no adverse outcomes were noted in any patients or staff. The hospital was back to fully functional status within four hours of the incident," said Mr Pramod Alagharu, Regional COO, Bangalore Cluster, Manipal Hospitals.
Preliminary investigations revealed that a short-circuit on the first floor caused the fire.This is the second fire in a hospital in the last two months. In April, a fire had broken out in the laboratory of Bilva Hospital in Palace Guttahalli. Half of the first floor was gutted in fire and a short-circuit was the cause of fire. No casualties were reported in the incident.
