A major fire broke out in the children's ward of Northeast Delhi's Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) hospital, a Government hospital, in the wee hours on Saturday.
A fire department official said although all the patients and staff were evacuated safely, the incident raises questions on fire safety at Government hospitals in Delhi in light of the Odisha SUM hospital fire where at least 23 people lost their lives.
According to the fire department, the incident took place around 3.35 am in room number 1104 at the first floor of the GTB hospital in the children's ward.
Six fire tenders, including one Bronto skylift fire tender, were rushed to the spot to douse the flames and by 4. 35 am the fire was brought under control. Police said the exact reason behind the fire is yet to be established.
However, in the preliminary investigation, it appears that the fire was triggered by overheating of ventilator, following which the electrical wire caught fire.
Sources said out of the total 34 children, there were 17 newborn babies present inside the ward at the time of the incident.
In the wake of the fire tragedy at SUM Hospital in Odisha, the Delhi Government has ordered a fire safety audit in all its hospitals and sought a report on it, to ensure no such mishap occurs in the national Capital.
A senior Delhi Fire Services official said the GTB Hospital has “the fire safety clearance”