Three Newborns Die in Amravati Hospital Fire; Parents Recall Night of Panic

Three newborns died after a fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the District Women's Hospital in Amravati, Maharashtra, in the early hours of Monday. The blaze was reported at around 3:15 a.m. on August 24, 2026, according to hospital officials.

The NICU is a specialised ward that provides critical care for premature, low-weight, and seriously ill infants. The hospital is one of the few facilities in the region with such a unit, drawing patients from surrounding towns and rural areas. Several babies were undergoing treatment at the time of the incident, and their parents and relatives were staying on the hospital premises, waiting for updates on the children's recovery.

Eyewitnesses said security guards and nurses were the first to respond. They rushed into the smoke-filled unit and began carrying infants to safety. According to those present, the unit was filled with thick, black smoke within minutes, and the rescue operation was difficult because the fire was spreading above the cots where the newborns were lying.

Yogesh Savarkar, a resident of Achalpur in Amravati, was sleeping outside the building when the fire broke out. His wife and eight-day-old child were admitted to the hospital. He immediately rushed to the first floor, where the NICU is located, and brought his baby down. "I could see black ashes on the other children in the hospital," he told PTI Videos.

Relatives of other children claimed that the ward's water spray system failed to activate during the emergency. They said the system should have gone off automatically as soon as smoke was detected. Families have blamed the hospital administration for the tragedy, alleging that no alarm was raised promptly and that basic fire safety equipment was not in place. They have demanded a thorough investigation and accountability.

The panic spread quickly as parents, many of whom had been asleep on benches and the ground, rushed into the building looking for their children. A nurse was seen helping to evacuate babies, and security guards were credited with acting swiftly. One eyewitness described the situation as extremely difficult, with flames visible above the infants and thick smoke cutting off visibility.

Officials confirmed the deaths of three infants but have not yet provided details about the condition of the other newborns. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be established. A probe has been ordered to examine whether safety lapses, including the reported failure of the water spray system, contributed to the severity of the incident.

The District Women's Hospital is a major government healthcare facility in the Vidarbha region, serving a large number of maternal and child health patients. This fire has once again raised concerns about fire safety in public hospitals across India. In recent years, several similar tragedies have occurred, prompting health authorities to issue guidelines, but implementation at the district level often remains inconsistent. The incident is a stark reminder of the life-safety risks in health-care environments and the need for periodic fire audits.

The affected families have sought justice, and the local community has expressed grief over the loss of young lives. As the investigation progresses, officials are expected to release a detailed report on the sequence of events and the measures needed to prevent such incidents in the future.