Fire breaks out at Rajouri hospital, prompt evacuation prevents casualty

JAMMU: A fire broke out at the basement of Rajouri’s Government Medical College and Hospital’s basement on Tuesday morning, filling upper floors with smoke, however prompt evacuation prevented any casualty.

Some attendants noticed smoke billowing from the basement and alerted hospital staff who, along with police, immediately evacuated the affected in-patient dept. “Initially the hospital staff, volunteers, and patients’ attendants tried to put out the fire. Soon three fire tenders arrived, and firefighters doused the flames before it could spread to OPD,” Fire & Emergency Services assistant director Himanshu Gupta told reporters.

On locals’ complaints of the lack of fire safety system in the hospital, Rajouri deputy commissioner Abhishek Sharma promised a probe also to find out the reason for the fire. He visited the hospital to ensure that healthcare operations are restored soon.