Kolkata: A fire broke out at SSKM Hospital – the lone state-run super speciality hospital in West Bengal – on Monday morning, triggering the memory of the AMRI catastrophe. However, no casualties were reported in the incident.
The fire broke out around 11:15 am at the library section of Ronald Ross Block. The library, where medical books and documents are stored, is situated on the rooftop of Ronald Ross Block – a five-storey building housing multiple departments of the hospital.
Several patients were trapped on the top floor where plastic surgery (male) ward is located. They were seen waving their hands through the windows for help as the situation aggravated.
Initially, five fire engines were pressed into service. But relatives of some patients alleged that these engines did not have water. Eleven more fire engines and a hydraulic ladder were later rushed to the spot.
As many as 70 patients admitted in the Ronald Ross building were evacuated by the fire brigade personnel. The fire was brought under control within the next one and half an hour.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, fire and emergency services minister Sovan Chatterjee, and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim rushed to the hospital.
The Chief Minister expressed concern over the incident and said an inquiry would be conducted to look into the possibility of any sabotage that could have caused the fire. Two fire engines would be stationed at the hospital permanently from now onwards, she added.
