4 min readCuttackUpdated: Mar 16, 2026 05:57 PM IST
A defunct fire safety system, a delayed call to the fire brigade, and a lack of adequate response are among the factors that left 10 people dead in a blaze inside the first-floor ICU of SCB Trauma Care Centre in Odisha’s Cuttack, The Indian Express has found. A preliminary probe into the fire, which broke out in the early hours of Monday, indicates that a suspected electrical short circuit was the cause.
Of the 23 patients admitted to the ICU, 10 died, while five remain critical. Eight of the dead are from Odisha, and one each from West Bengal and Bihar.
The state government has ordered a judicial probe into the matter. According to sources, the preliminary probe has found several issues with the fire safety system and negligence by the SCB Medical College authorities.
“The fire sprinkler system didn’t work as the tap (control valve) was closed. Also, the fire warning system didn’t go off as the switch had been off for the past several days. The fire brigade, located barely a few hundred metres from the site, received a call at 2:58 am, even though the fire broke out at around 2:35 am, according to eyewitnesses,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.
Fire brigade officials at the site of Cuttack blaze that claimed at least 10 lives. pic.twitter.com/F1ulPo7nvA
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) March 16, 2026
According to fire service officials, two of their personnel reached the spot on a motorcycle within two minutes, while the first fire engine arrived within five minutes. Even though the blaze was doused within minutes, thick smoke spread throughout the ICU and to other floors, forcing staff to evacuate patients from various wards.
As the majority of the patients in the ICU were on oxygen support, at least seven died due to suffocation, while three succumbed while undergoing treatment after being evacuated. “The hospital staff should have immediately called the fire brigade without wasting time. The situation would not have turned tragic had the sprinkler system worked properly,” the official said.
The superintendent of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Dr Goutam Satpathy, did not respond to repeated calls and messages seeking comment.
Recounting the midnight horror, Mahakalapada resident Iswar Rout, who lost his 72-year-old mother Menaka Rout, said, “Around 2:40 am, we woke up to the screams of nurses, who asked us to vacate the corridor as a fire had broken out. The staff were trying to douse it with the help of extinguishers, but couldn’t control it. When I tried to enter the ICU, I saw thick smoke — nothing was clearly visible.” Iswar, 52, said his mother had been admitted two weeks ago after suffering a fall.
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Nirmala Barik from Cuttack’s Champatipur had admitted her husband, 44-year-old Gauranga Charan Barik, to the ICU in January following an accident. “As we couldn’t afford treatment at private hospitals, SCB was our only hope. My husband was recovering, and we were hopeful that we would take him home in a few days,” said Nirmala, a mother of two.
The hospital’s nursing and security staff were the first responders, evacuating patients from the ICU on their shoulders, eyewitnesses said.
As SCB is the largest tertiary healthcare centre in the state, people from Odisha and nearby states such as West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar depend on it. As treatment and critical diagnostics are free under various state government schemes, the hospital is the go-to place for the economically disadvantaged, who cannot afford private care. According to officials, the premier medical college handles around 1.5 lakh patients every month.
