Fire at Sealdah ESI hospital in Kolkata, no casualties reported; probe underway
A major fire broke out at Sealdah ESI Hospital in Kolkata early Friday morning, according to a fire department official. Ten fire tenders were dispatched to the scene, and the blaze was brought under control after two hours of firefighting efforts. No casualties have been reported so far, the official confirmed. West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose visited the hospital following the incident. He stated that the fire began around 5:30 am and was now under control, with cooling operations underway to prevent any flare-ups.
There was some concern after a patient's family claimed a death occurred due to suffocation from the fire. However, the minister clarified that it was not yet confirmed whether the death was related to the fire or due to natural causes. A senior official from the ESI hospital explained that the fire originated on the first floor of the men's surgical ward. All patients were evacuated safely, with some transferred to other medical facilities as a precaution. Approximately 50 patients were shifted to the nearby Maniktala ESI Hospital.
The hospital's water sprinkler system was still under construction at the time of the fire, and while fire extinguishers were available, they proved insufficient for the scale of the fire, leading to extensive damage to the affected ward. West Bengal Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak stated that preliminary assessments pointed to a short circuit as the cause of the fire. A thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the exact cause. Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma, who also visited the hospital, confirmed that a forensic team would examine the site for further analysis.