Three newborns died after a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharashtra’s District Women’s Hospital in Amravati early morning on Aug 24. Officials said the hospital had undergone regular fire safety audits and had already applied for this year’s audit, while an investigation is underway to determine whether faulty medical equipment triggered the blaze.
Fire Breaks Out in NICU
The fire broke out at around 3:15 am on the third floor of the hospital’s NICU. A ventilator is suspected to have sparked the fire. Three newborns died in the incident, while 36 other children were rescued unharmed.
Officials have rejected suggestions that mandatory fire safety audits had been skipped, saying records show that the hospital had undergone regular inspections.
Administration Denies Fire Audit Lapse
Amravati District Magistrate Ashish Yerekar said the hospital had completed its fire audit last year and had also applied for the current year’s audit with the Public Works Department (PWD) Electrical wing.
He said the investigation is currently focused on the equipment suspected to have triggered the fire. Officials will examine whether there was any administrative lapse or a technical fault in the equipment.
Yerekar said that if an administrative failure is established, accountability will be fixed, while strict action will also be taken against the equipment company if a technical fault is found.
Fadnavis Orders High-Level Inquiry
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief over the deaths and ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident.
The state government has announced ₹5 lakh financial assistance for each family of the deceased newborns. The Chief Minister also directed officials to provide treatment to injured children at government expense.
Fadnavis said strict action would be taken against anyone found responsible for the tragedy and instructed the Health Minister and Secretary to visit Amravati.
Families Raise Fire Safety Concerns
Relatives of some children admitted to the hospital have alleged that the ward’s water spray/fire suppression system did not function when the fire broke out. They claimed the system was expected to activate automatically after detecting the fire.
These allegations are expected to be examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
Parents Describe Chaotic Rescue
Yogesh Savarkar, whose wife and eight-day-old child were admitted to the hospital, recalled the panic after the fire broke out. He said he rushed inside the hospital and personally rescued his baby, who was admitted on the first floor.
He also described seeing black ashes on other children and said security guards and a nurse were among those who helped with the rescue operation.
The investigation will now establish whether the tragedy resulted from equipment failure, a fire safety system malfunction, an administrative lapse, or a combination of factors.