Fire in AP Covid hospital, none hurt; third in one month

TIRUPATI: In the third incident of fire in a Covid-19 hospital in Andhra Pradesh this month, patients and attendants at the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Anantapur had a miraculous escape after a blaze late on Tuesday night. There were no casualties.
The incident comes close on the heels of a fire at a Covid-19 ward in Visakhapatnam and the major blaze at a Covid-19 centre in a hotel run by Ramesh Hospitals in Vijayawada which claimed 10 lives.
According to GGH sources, fire broke out in the record room in the Covid-19 ward at around 11.20 pm on Tuesday. The smoke led to chaos, but all were evacuated to safety. The staff shifted 24 Covid-19 patients to another ward. As the fire station was nearby, fire tenders were pressed into service immediately and the flames were doused before they could spread to other wards.
Collectors to review fire safety
But the files in the record room were gutted. Anantapur SP B Sathya Yesu Babu told reporters that electrical short circuit was the likely cause of fire. Health minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas has now directed all collectors to review fire safety measures at all government general hospitals across the state. MLA Anantha Venkatarami Reddy said the state government would initiate measures to prevent the recurrence of such fires in the future.