Bhubaneswar: A three-member committee has been formed to probe the fire mishap at Apollo Hospitals here, said Khurda Collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra.
The committee shall be headed by additional divisional medical officer (ADMO) and conduct the inquiry to ascertain the cause of fire.
“An inquiry committee has been formed. The committee has been asked to submit a report by February 6,” informed Mishra.
It may be mentioned here that patients and staff at the Apollo Hospital here had a narrow shave when fire broke out on its premises Friday.
Sources informed that the fire had started in one of the battery rooms near the ICU on the fifth floor at around 10 am. However, prompt evacuation procedures by the staff prevented what could have been a major tragedy.
Nurses, doctors along with other staff members of the hospital safely brought out the patients. Many of them were shifted to the ground floor and parking lot while others were transferred to different hospitals.
“Around 35 patients were rescued and shifted to ground floor through stretchers. Short circuit is suspected to be the cause behind the fire,” said a staff of the hospital.
Several firefighting personnel reached the spot after being informed and quickly brought the flames under control.
Shortly after the incident, Twin City police commissioner Satyajit Mohanty visited the spot to review the situation. He said, “The situation is under control. All the patients were shifted from the fifth floor. No patient has been affected due to the smoke.” Mohanty also stated that the police will inspect whether the hospital has proper fire preventive measures in place and whether fire audits are done on a regular basis.