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Aarush

Rohini Hospital Fire Incident

Oxygen is not only “lifeline for humans” but also the “oxygen for fire”….

Rahul Jadhav, Director – Aarush Fire Systems Pvt. Ltd.

Two patients died when fire broke out at the third floor of a private hospital in Warangal city of Telangana on October 16, 2017. The incident took place reportedly due to leakage of an oxygen cylinder, which is an ideal fodder for fire. The patients who underwent surgery and were in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) were the worst affected as there were fears that they might develop complications due to smoke.

The incident took place at around 6 pm at the Rohini Super Speciality Hospitals, Hanamkonda area of Warangal city. The doctors were performing surgery in the operation theatre, where the leakage of gas reportedly took place.

When the fire broke up, Jetty Kumaraswamy, one of the two casualties, was undergoing surgery. It was alleged that the hospital staff was said to have abandoned him in operation theatre while he was undergoing orthopedic surgery as the fire broke out in the operation theatre complex. He died on the operation table itself, supposedly due to suffocation. Another lady patient died in other hospitals, where she was shifted soon after the accident and several other patients received injuries in the mishap.

The investigating carried out by a special team ascertain that the sparks had caused by a plug which had loose contact with the socket in the operation theatre had damaged the oxygen pendant thus spreading the fire. It was suspected that the short circuit in the intensive care unit (ICU), which is located near the operation theatre, on the second floor of the three-storied hospital building caused the blast of the oxygen cylinders, spreading the fire and thick smoke. Heart patients and patients with pulmonary diseases suffered a lot due to suffocation caused by the smoke.

It was also found that water was not available in the overhead tank as well as in the sump when the accident took place. The investigating officials also raised questions and doubts over the proper functioning of fire safety system though the hospital was possessing no objection certificated related to fire.

The Subedari police reportedly have registered a case under section 304 (A) if the Indian Penal Code (causing death by negligence) against the hospital management. Meanwhile, a team of including district fire officers (DFO) in association with other officials/experts also inspected the hospital to ascertain the cause for the fire accident.

It was alleged that the magnitude and gravity of the incident further escalated due to a lack of know-how in using the fire extinguishers among the staff. The failure of the staff in responding to an emergency situation eventually resulted in the deaths of two innocent patients. The staff of the hospital was seemingly not provided with proper training to operate the fire fighting systems and equipment. They were not adequately equipped with the knowledge to handle the emergency situation in case of fire break-ups.

This is a common issue almost everywhere in India and abroad also. This is a reason why Aarush Fire Systems Pvt. Ltd. not only nudges the clients to install efficient firewalls but also focuses on providing training to operate them to their staff.

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