Amravati, August 24: Three newborn infants lost their lives early Monday after a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the District Women’s Hospital in Amravati, Maharashtra, while on-duty staff successfully rescued 36 other infants admitted to the facility.
The fire erupted at approximately 3:15 am inside a medical ventilator located within the outborn babies’ section of the NICU, which accommodates premature and critically ill infants. Hospital staff acted immediately upon noticing the blaze to evacuate the remaining infants to safer wards across the hospital complex and neighboring medical facilities.
Local authorities confirmed that six of the evacuated infants were subsequently transferred to a super-speciality hospital, with four receiving treatment at the Divisional Referral Services Hospital, including one child remaining in critical condition.
Government representatives confirmed that administrative and technical probes have been initiated to establish the exact cause of the fire. Maharashtra Revenue Minister and Amravati Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated that he has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident and assured that those injured were receiving all necessary medical assistance. He declared that he is deeply saddened by the incident, asserting that the government stands with the relatives of the deceased children and is providing all possible help.
Amravati Police Commissioner Rakesh Ola maintained that fire personnel and the PWD’s electrical wing have been informed to investigate the source of the ignition. He affirmed that senior officials are overseeing the site evaluation to determine the sequence of events that led to the blaze.
