Major fire at Thuravoor taluk hospital

Kottayam: A major fire broke out at the Thuravoor taluk govt hospital in Alappuzha on Monday, with preliminary estimates suggesting that medicines worth around Rs 1 crore were destroyed. Initial assessments indicate that a short circuit in the air-conditioning system caused the fire. Hospital authorities and police said a detailed investigation into the incident will be conducted. The fire started around 10.30am in the third-floor storage area of the hospital's old building, located near Thuravoor Junction on the national highway. A pharmacist was the first to notice the fire, and after raising an alarm, other staff members rushed to the scene. Thick smoke from the burning medicines hindered rescue efforts. Although autorickshaw drivers and residents arrived to help, hospital authorities did not allow them to enter the area where the medicines were burning, warning that the fire could cause explosions. The first fire brigade unit arrived from Aroor within 15 minutes. At the time, there were 11 dialysis patients, four women in labour and 10 other patients in the hospital, along with about 200 outpatients. Patients were transferred to Cherthala govt hospital and Alappuzha general hospital. Fire brigade units from Cherthala, Aroor, Alappuzha, Mattancherry, Ernakulam Gandhinagar and Fort Kochi worked for about two hours, continuously pumping water to extinguish the fire completely. Police also arrived at the scene to help in the rescue operations.