Bengaluru: In a second such incident in the city, a major portion on the first floor of Bilva Hospital in Palace Guttahalli was gutted after a fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday.
Though the fire that erupted around 5.30 am completely destroyed the laboratory on the first floor of the three-storey hospital, no casualties were reported. Thanks to the presence of mind of the hospital staff and the quick response of fire officials, six patients were taken out of the building immediately and shifted to Ramakrishna Nursing Home in hospital’s ambulances.
The hospital had a laboratory, doctors’ consultation rooms and a waiting area on the first floor and luckily there weren't anyone on the floor at the time of the accident. “The first floor is normally buzzing during work hours and there is no activity in the night. While the ground floor has a reception area and ICU, all the wards are on the second floor,” Dr Keshav Murthy, Managing Director of the hospital told Deccan Chronicle.
Around 5.30 am on Saturday, a staffer at the reception desk and a ward boy on duty spotted sparks coming out of the laboratory's window. By the time they reached the first floor, the sparks had turned into a blazing fire as most of the floor had wooden compartments and shelves. Instead of panicking, the duo along with a doctor showed the presence of mind and rescued six patients on the second floor. Meanwhile, they informed the fire official about the incident.
“The hospital staff had taken all the patients to the third floor as a thick blanket of smoke was entering all the wards on the second floor. Fire officials reached the spot in 10 minutes and evacuated the patients from the building. As it was difficult to reach the third floor from the hospital’s entrance, we used stairs of a house attached to the hospital,” Director, Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services Department, K.U. Ramesh, told Deccan Chronicle.
It took about 30 minutes for six fire tenders to douse the fire. Prime facie, it was a fire due to a short-circuit, he said. In 2012, a fire had broken out at Columbia Asia Hospital in Hebbal due to a short-circuit. As many as 75 patients were evacuated from the building and were shifted to another hospital. No casualties were reported in that incident too.
Fire safety equipment notice ignored
About a month ago, the fire department had issued a notice to Bilva Hospital in Palace Guttahalli, where the first floor of was gutted in a fire on Saturday morning, for not installing fire safety equipment in the building.
The hospital authorities reportedly ignored the notice. A complaint has been lodged against the hospital authorities at the Vyalikaval police station. Also, the hospital is reportedly being run illegally from a residential building, which is not designed for a hospital. “It’s a residential apartment which has been converted into a hospital. With no fire safety equipment, the tragedy could have been far worse, and the fire could have spread to the second and third floors,” a fire official said.
Fire officials said that a major tragedy was averted because of the quick response from fire officials and no traffic on roads. As many as six fire tenders were pressed into service.
