Chaos gripped SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack amid frantic calls by relatives searching for their loved ones after a massive fire at what is one of Odisha’s premier healthcare centres claimed 10 lives in the early hours of Monday.
Several patients, who were rescued following the blaze, remained in critical condition.
Waiting outside the mortuary of the SCB, 57-year-old Rushab Parida from Subaranapur village in Angul district, recalled what doctors told him the previous night about his 101-year-old father, who had been under treatment in the ICU for the past week.
“My father sustained severe head injuries following a bull attack. After treatment for around a week, he had recovered well. The previous evening, doctors said that they would discharge my father today. Unfortunately, he died in the fire,” Rushab told The Indian Express.
Rushab, who works as a cook in a private canteen, was among relatives sleeping on the floor outside the ICU when the fire broke out. He said that at around 2.40 am, he heard screams.
“The nurses and security staff were shouting at us to go outside as a fire broke out near a bed. When we tried to enter the ICU, we saw thick smoke and couldn’t see anyone. The nurses didn’t allow us inside. There was chaos all around. After some time, I searched for my father. In the morning, we came to know that his body was charred completely,” said Rushab.
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Jajpur resident Puspalata Puhan, 47, also lost her father, who had been admitted to the ICU for five days due to a brain stroke.
“My father was doing fine and responded well to treatment. He started walking on his own. After the mishap, I searched for him in different wards, but didn’t find him. When I came back to the trauma care centre in the morning and showed his Aadhaar card, the staff told me to go to the mortuary as he had died,” Puhan said.
Relatives of several others continued to go from ward to ward, still trying to establish the whereabouts of their loved ones.
The hospital’s nursing and security staff were the first responders, who evacuated patients from the fiery ICU on their shoulders. Around 11 hospital staff members sustained burn injuries while attempting to rescue patients and bring the fire under control. Their condition is stable, doctors said.
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A security guard, who did not want to be named, said the sprinkler system failed and that the fire extinguishers also didn’t work. “We tried our best to rescue as many patients, but many died,” he said.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire was mainly restricted to the first-floor ICU, but thick smoke spread to other floors, forcing staff to evacuate patients from different wards. The staff said it took around 30 minutes for fire tenders to reach the spot, even though the fire station was located within the SCB campus.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi visited the hospital early in the morning to take stock of the situation. Confirming 10 deaths in the blaze, the CM announced ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each to the families of the deceased. He also ordered a judicial probe into the mishap.
Senior state government officials have been asked to camp in the hospital to ensure proper treatment for the injured and to manage the situation.
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A high-level inquiry has also been ordered to find the cause of the fire, identify lapses, and implement safety measures.
Meanwhile, people raised concerns over frequent incidents of fire at SCB — an institution that patients from Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand depend on for their medical needs.
