Nine newborns were safely evacuated after a fire broke out inside the NICU of Asian Hospital on Jalna Road in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, during the early hours of Friday.
Hospital staff noticed smoke coming from an air-conditioning unit while nine babies were receiving intensive or specialised medical treatment inside the neonatal intensive care unit. Dr Shoeb Hashmi, who runs the hospital, said the staff immediately responded and evacuated the newborns as a precaution. The hospital team also shifted patients from the neighbouring general ward to ensure their safety during the incident.
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Hospital Response and Safety Measures
Hospital authorities described the fire as a small incident and confirmed that staff quickly brought the situation under control. Doctors later transferred the newborns to other hospitals after obtaining consent from their respective families. The hospital administration said the incident caused no injuries or casualties among the newborns, patients, staff, or visitors. A Jawaharnagar police station officer also confirmed that authorities received information about the fire and reported no casualties. The hospital team cleaned the affected area and resumed normal operations after controlling the situation.
The incident occurred around ten days after another serious NICU fire killed three newborns at the District Women’s Hospital in Amravati. During that earlier tragedy, authorities rescued 36 newborns from the affected hospital. The Amravati incident prompted the Maharashtra government to order a high-level inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. The latest incident in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar ended without casualties after hospital staff responded quickly and evacuated vulnerable newborns. The incident highlights the importance of emergency preparedness, functioning safety systems, and rapid response procedures inside neonatal intensive care units.