Amravati Hospital Fire: Officials Cite No Audit Lapse, Investigate Ventilator Spark

The District Women's Hospital in Amravati, Maharashtra, was the site of a tragic fire in the early hours of Monday, resulting in the deaths of three newborns. The administration has stated that the hospital had complied with mandatory fire safety audits, even as investigations focus on the equipment suspected to have triggered the blaze.

The fire broke out at approximately 3:15 am in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on the third floor. Preliminary reports suggest that a ventilator may have sparked the fire. While three newborns lost their lives, 36 other children were rescued and are reported to be safe.

Addressing questions about fire safety compliance, District Magistrate Ashish Yerekar said records confirmed that fire audits were conducted regularly, and the hospital had already applied for a fresh audit with the Public Works Department's electrical wing. He dismissed suggestions that the mandatory checks had been skipped.

“No, the fire audit for last year was indeed conducted, and they have also applied for this year's fire audit with the PWD Electrical wing. I have seen the documents myself,” Yerekar said. He added that the investigation has been initiated to determine whether the equipment or any administrative failure led to the tragedy.

“Our main issue here is the equipment, specifically the unit that triggered the automatic alert, and we need to examine what fault lies within it,” the official said. He assured that if any administrative lapse is found, accountability will be fixed, and action will be taken against the equipment company as well if a defect is discovered.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief over the incident, describing it as “extremely tragic and heart-wrenching.” He announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and ordered a high-level inquiry into the tragedy.

“Orders have been issued to the health administration to conduct a high-level inquiry into this incident. The strictest possible action will be taken against those responsible,” Fadnavis said. He also directed the Health Minister and the Secretary to visit Amravati immediately and instructed that the injured children receive treatment at government expense.

While officials examine whether a fault in the equipment sparked the fire, relatives of some children admitted to the hospital have alleged that the ward's water spray system did not function when the fire broke out. According to them, the system should have been activated automatically. These allegations are likely to form part of the ongoing investigation.

Parents recounted scenes of panic as flames spread through the ward and they rushed to save their children. Yogesh Savarkar, a resident of Achalpur in Amravati, was sleeping outside the hospital when the fire occurred. His wife and eight-day-old child were admitted at the time. He described the chaos that followed as the fire service and hospital staff worked to evacuate the infants.

The investigation remains underway, with authorities examining both the equipment and the hospital's safety systems to determine the exact cause of the incident. The administration has assured that all aspects, including potential lapses in safety infrastructure, will be thoroughly reviewed.