A massive fire damaged Bone and Joint hospital here on Friday night but there was no casualty reported. Patients were evacuated amid chaos and panic following fire from the “operation theatre” which spread amid blast of gas cylinders, damaging “30%” of the building infrastructure.A number of fire tenders from many parts of Kashmir were rushed to the scene to douse the blaze.Reports reaching that the flames spread from building housing main OT to another as fire services personnel battled hard to bring the blaze under control. There are reports that several gas cylinder blasts occurred and thus made the efforts to bring the fire under control a difficult task for the fire and emergency department. Earlier the fire plunged the whole hospital administration besides patients and attendants into panic.Trauma, Recovery and Emergency sections were damaged in the blaze which was brought under control after hectic efforts by official machinery and tremendous help rendered by the locals. All the patients were evacuated and first kept outside the hospital before shifted to various hospitals in the vicinity. A number of ambulances were pressed to remove the patients to other hospitals. There were cries of pain and agony as fire and emergency service personnel along with locals put in their efforts to bring the blaze under control.An ambulance driver at the spot said that they took the patients to “wherever hospital” they find feasible. Later Director Health Services Kashmir (DHSK), Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Rather told reporters at the scene that patients were shifted mainly to SKIMS Bemina and SMHS.Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole said that preliminary reports suggest that fire started from OT and spread with blast of gas cylinders.He said expressed gratitude to the locals for timely help in evacuation of the patients.He said that Principal GMC shall inquire into reason for the fire and if there were lapses despite fire safety audit. He also ordered that all LPG cylinders used for heating purposes to wardoff against the winter chill “have to go since Chillai-e-Kalan” is over already. He said 30% hospital buildings suffered damage in the devastating fire.
