Rajouri, March 18: A fire broke out at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, leading to the evacuation of over 150 patients from the hospital. The incident occurred in the basement of the hospital early on Tuesday morning, filling the wards with smoke and prompting swift action from hospital staff, fire services, and volunteers to ensure the safety of patients and attendants.
According to Himanshu Gupta, Assistant Director of Fire and Emergency Services, the fire was controlled within an hour, and fortunately, there were no casualties reported. Firefighters quickly responded to the incident with three fire tenders to extinguish the blaze. A probe has been launched to determine the exact cause of the fire.
The Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, along with his team, visited the hospital to assess the situation and ensure a prompt recovery of operations. “Our priority is to restore normal operations at the hospital, including OPD services,” Sharma said, emphasizing the importance of resuming critical healthcare services for the public.
In response to the allegations about the failure of the hospital’s internal fire safety system, Sharma assured that a thorough inquiry will be conducted into the matter. Hospital staff, along with several volunteers, acted swiftly and tried to contain the fire before the arrival of fire personnel, successfully restricting the blaze to the basement area.
Authorities have confirmed that efforts are being made to restore normalcy as quickly as possible, and the situation is being monitored closely. The safety of patients and staff remains the top priority, and appropriate measures will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
