Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra: An electrical short in an air-conditioning unit sparked a fire in Asian Hospital’s NICU in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, on Friday, Septmeber 4, prompting the evacuation of nine newborns and 58 patients total.

Staff activated emergency protocols right away, shifting everyone to nearby hospitals like Ghati, MGM, and Sanjeevani with family consent. CCTV footage from the hospital shows the tense moments when hospital staff rushed to evacuate newborn babies from the Pediatric, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PICU/NICU) after smoke was detected around midnight.

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Fortunately, no casualties or injuries occurred. Firefighters contained the blaze quickly. According to reports citing doctors, the newborns were shifted to other hospitals with the consent of their families. The in-charge officer at Jawaharnagar police station said there were no injuries or casualties in the incident.

About ten days ago, three newborns died, and 36 were rescued after a devastating fire broke out in the NICU of the District Women’s Hospital in Amravati in the neighbouring Vidarbha region, prompting the state government to order a high-level inquiry into the tragedy.

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Notably, the incident comes just 10 days after a fatal NICU fire in Amravati that killed three newborns.  During the incident, around 36 were rescued after a devastating fire broke out in the NICU of the District Women’s Hospital in Amravati in the neighbouring Vidarbha region.