Fire breaks out in children’s ward at DHQ hospital

MIANWALI:

Fire broke out in the children's ward of the District Headquarters Hospital in Mianwali in the early hours of Friday morning, leaving 27 children and six women severely affected.

One baby girl and three women were shifted to the PAF Hospital and then to PIMS in Islamabad in a critical condition.

Fire was brought under control by timely action by Rescue 1122 team, who were ably assisted by the hospital staff, saving the children and other people from sustaining serious burn injuries.

However, children and women were severely affected by the smoke. They were immediately shifted to other wards of the hospital.

Four children and three women were shifted to the PAF Hospital. According to rescue sources, Maria, 26, Naseem, 30, Aqsa, 25, and two-year-old Mehreen were shifted to PIMS in Islamabad.

A forensic team was due to arrive from Sargodha to collect evidence from the ward, said Dr. Saeed Ahmed, medical superintendent of the DHQ Hospital. He confirmed that three women and a baby girl had been shifted to PIMS in Islamabad while the rest of the children were in good condition. Deputy Commissioner Khurram Shehzad said that the incident took place due to a short circuit, and that an inquiry into the incident had been ordered.

The fire was so intense that it completely reduced the ward and all the equipment into ashes. It was less than a week ago that fire had ripped through a mall in Gulberg in Lahore which affected over 400 shops and the livelihood of their 6,000 workers.

The firefighting operation continued the whole night, in which 22 vehicles and 92 rescuers took part.

Rescue 1122 DG had said the plaza did not have functional fire hydrants and proper emergency exit passages, causing problems in the fire extinguishing operation.

“It is the second time that a fire broke out in this plaza,” he had told reporters outside the building along with other officers of his team.

On the other hand, a trader had alleged that the management of the shopping centre had earlier asked the traders to vacate the shops. Police took the official in charge of security of the plaza for questioning about the incident.

Lahore Commissioner Captain (Retd.) Muhammad Usman announced that an inquiry would be carried out by a high-powered committee having representation of several departments and agencies.

Some shopkeepers present on the spot also complained about inadequate safety equipment and measures in the building. One of them said the dilapidated electricity panels and wires had not been replaced for quite some time.

The Gulberg Main Boulevard is usually a relatively calm area at midnight as the markets are closed by 10pm and residential areas are situated at a distance.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2022.