Fire breaks out in endoscopy room of AIIMS-Delhi, no casualties

New Delhi: A fire broke out in the endoscopy room on the second floor of the old OPD building at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on Monday. All patients were safely evacuated, officials said. No casualties were reported in the fire, the cause of which is still to be ascertained. Official sources said the fire forced the temporary suspension of endoscopy, emergency and diagnostics services in the old OPD building. Visuals from the spot showed black smoke billowing out of the windows. In a statement issued later, AIIMS said security and fire control rooms were informed when information about the blaze out on the second floor of the old Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur OPD in the main AIIMS building was received at 11.35 am.

"The fire was controlled immediately by AIIMS Fire Services. Subsequently, fire tender staff of the Delhi Fire Services arrived. They supported in cooling off the area," the statement said. Fire department officials, however, said the blaze erupted around 11.55 am. Thirteen water tenders were pressed into service and the fire was brought under control around 1 pm. AIIMS sources said water from the hospital's underground tank was also used to douse the flames. Police teams also arrived at the spot after receiving information about the fire and cordoned off the area. A senior doctor said, "When the fire broke out, two patients were undergoing a procedure in the endoscopy room. These two patients along with around 80 others in the waiting area were evacuated." However, no official figure on the number of patients evacuated has been shared.

The senior doctor added that another 31 patients, including six in the ICU, were shifted from the AB 2 ward and to others in the building. Doctors, nursing staff and guards also broke some of the glass windows on the second floor to allow the smoke to escape. Around 70 patients from the paediatric and adult emergency wards on the ground floor were also evacuated as smoke filled the area. Some of the patients were shifted to the Safdarjung Hospital nearby. According to the sources, the second floor orthopaedic operation theatre was functional at the time and patients had to be evacuated from there as well.

They said the fire broke out in the store area of the endoscopy room but the cause is not immediately known, hospital sources said. A safety audit will be conducted to assess the damage. The AIIMS statement said no casualties or injuries were reported and later confirmed with the security control room. Efforts are underway to restore normality in medical services at the earliest. Police and fire services teams inspected the spot and found that the blaze originated in the store room on the second floor. The room had been closed for a long time, a senior officer said. The response by police and other emergency services contained the fire without any injuries or casualties, the officer added.