Fire at Maharashtra hospital claims 4 lives, leaves several injured

Mumbai: At least four patients lost their lives and several others were injured after a massive fire broke out at a private hospital in Maharashtra's Thane district in the early hours of Wednesday.

The blaze, which broke out at the Prime Criticare Hospital at Kausa in Mumbra at around 3.40 am, has now been brought under control. Three fire engines and five ambulances are at the spot.

Twenty patients were rescued from the hospital - six of them were in the ICU. The fire destroyed the first floor of the hospital, an official said, adding that there were no Covid patients at the facility.

Maharashtra Minister Jitendra Awhad said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has been informed of the incident and the victims' families will receive ₹ 5 lakh compensation each. The injured will get ₹ 1 lakh.

The cause of the fire will only be known after a detailed investigation.

A high-level enquiry committee comprising officials of the city's civic body, police officers and medical officials has been constituted to investigate the cause of the fire, the minister said.

On Tuesday, Baramati MP and senior NCP leader Supriya Sule had raised the issue of lack of Fire Brigade services in rural areas of the state and demanded the setting up of a Maharashtra Fire Control Force on the lines of the State Reserve Police Force to tackle fire incidents.

She has raised the demand in the wake of multiple fire incidents in hospitals in Maharashtra which has claimed the lives of scores of Covid-19 patients.

Last week, 14 coronavirus patients who were in the ICU died in a fire at a hospital in Virar, around 50 km from Thane.

Another 13 people had died after a fire broke out at the ICU of a COVID Center in Vasai of Palghar district early on Friday morning.