A devastating fire at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College claimed the lives of 10 newborns late Friday night. Even as the Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a probe, initial investigations reveal glaring lapses in fire safety protocols, including expired fire extinguishers and non-functional fire alarms, which significantly delayed rescue operations.
The ward housed 55 newborns at the time of the incident. While 45 babies were rescued, the remaining succumbed to severe burns and asphyxiation. The fire quickly spread, engulfing the ward and cutting off access routes, leaving staff and firefighters scrambling to save the infants.
Evidence gathered from the site highlights that the fire extinguishers in the SNCU ward had expired years ago. One extinguisher bore a refill date of 2019 with an expiry in 2020, making it non-operational for nearly four years. Many others had exceeded their service life by one to two years. Instead of being functional safety tools, these extinguishers were mere decorative relics, rendering them useless in containing the fire.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak refuted these claims saying hospital’s fire safety systems were last inspected in February 2024, followed by a mock drill in June. “If what government claiming is true, one thing is true that these measures failed to prevent Friday’s tragedy, exposing the negligence in maintaining critical equipment,” Amarnath Agarwal a Congress leader said.
Further compounding the tragedy was the failure of the fire alarms installed in the SNCU. Witnesses reported no alarm sounding when the fire broke out, delaying immediate evacuation efforts. By the time smoke engulfed the ward, panic and confusion had spread, making rescue efforts more challenging.
Eyewitnesses described the fire spreading rapidly, blocking the main entry point. Firefighters attempted to access the ward through the rear but were initially unsuccessful. Eventually, they smashed windows to reach the trapped infants.
Praminder Singh Chandel, a para-medics told this reporter that thanks to its ground-floor location, firefighters managed to rescue several newborns.
However, those in the inner unit of the SNCU were severely affected, with some unable to survive due to severe burns. “If this had occurred on an upper floor, the rescue operations would have been even more challenging,” he said. The SNCU ward is divided into two units: an external unit and an internal unit. Rescuers prioritised evacuating babies from the external unit, but the conditions inside the ward made it difficult to save all the children.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak expressed deep sorrow over the incident, stating, “This is an extremely tragic event.” Initial reports from eyewitnesses suggest the fire began due to sparking in an oxygen concentrator, which then caused the flames to spread rapidly.
Pathak further explained that the ward boy acted quickly, activating fire extinguishers. However, the presence of oxygen accelerated the spread of the fire. “Staff and family members worked together to rescue as many children as possible,” he added.
The tragedy has sparked widespread outrage, with demands for accountability. A high-level probe has been ordered to investigate lapses in fire safety and the hospital administration’s negligence. Deputy CM Pathak has assured stringent action against those responsible, calling the incident a “failure of the system.”
The Deputy CM said that the main point of all three investigations is to identify the cause of the fire and the person responsible and take strict action. He also said that after conducting DNA tests, the bodies of the dead babies will be handed over to their families.
The fire unleashed scenes of chaos and heartbreak as parents rushed towards the burning ward. Some, disregarding their own safety, attempted to enter the ward but were restrained by firefighters. The SNCU typically houses newborns suffering from conditions like jaundice and pneumonia, many of whom are only a few hours or days old. Each baby is identified by a slip bearing the mother’s name on a ribbon tied around their ankle. However, in the chaos of the evacuation, many identification tags were lost, leaving parents frantically searching for their children.
One such woman, Rani Sen, recounted her ordeal late into the night. Her three-day-old nephew, admitted due to illness, went missing during the evacuation. “We haven’t been able to locate him since the fire. No one is giving us any answers,” she said, sobbing. As parents mourn their irreparable loss, the tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the cost of negligence in public institutions.
