A fire broke out at a Sadguru Covid-19 hospital in Odisha’s Cuttack district on Monday. The fire was reported inside an ICU ward on the first floor of the hospital, according to the fire officials.
A short circuit in a faulty air conditioner is believed to have caused the fire, but the exact cause is not known yet.
No loss of human life has been reported so far, fire service official Satyajit Mohanty said. A total of 127 coronavirus patients being treated at the hospital were evacuated and shifted to other medical establishments, he said.
“The shifting of patients who were undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of the hospital is our priority,” Mohanty said.
“All 132 patients are being shifted to Ashwini Covid hospital in Cuttack, SUM Covid hospital in Bhubaneswar and other Covid Care Centres (CCCs). Of the total patients, 24 were in the ICU,” according to sources.
As many as 40 private ambulances have been deployed to shift patients to other hospitals.
The Cuttack district administration opened the Sadguru COVID-19 hospital on August 24. The hospital has special facilities for expectant mothers who are Covid-19 positive. A special delivery ward has also been installed by the hospital authorities.