Ahmedabad: Illegal canteen of hospital catches fire

About 18 newborns and infants along with 400 others inside Dev Building had a narrow escape after a massive fire broke out in an illegally constructed canteen of a hospital. The fire was caused due to cylinder leak. No casualty was reported in the fire.

The incident occured at around 1 pm, at Apple Multi Speciality Pediatric Hospital terrace that is a part of Dev Building, near Parimal Cross Road. The canteen and waiting area in the building were illegally constructed on the terrace for patients and visitors.

The hospital is jointly owned by Dr Paresh Dangli, Dr Abhishek Bansal and Dr Nirav Modi.

Incidentally, the hospital on the fourth floor building had been warned time and again to not carry out cooking activities on the terrace.

Fire officials said that the the staff of four hospitals in the building, had been hanging around after being done with their cooking, when suddenly one of the four commercial cylinders began to leak. Soon the fire started. "The workers tried to douse fire with water and the extinguisher, but it spread out after the fibre covering used as shade caught fire," said additional chief fire officer Rajesh Bhatt.

The workers rushed to inform the hospital staff, and they immediately evacuated 18 babies under its care. The babies were initially kept in the air conditioned room of a restaurant before being shifted to other hospital.

The patients of the other three hospitals were also rushed out.

Dr Parimal Desai, owner of Cure Sight Laser Centre (one of the other hospitals in the building) and chairman of the building said he was in the middle of an operation when he rushed out. "My staff knocked on the operation theatre. I was initially annoyed but soon realised the urgency. I left with my patient, as he was conscious and aware, we only had to make him wear dark glasses before moving him out," said Dr Desai.

He said that, time and again they had approached the owners of Apple Hospital about the canteen on the terrace. "We knew it was illegal and had asked them to dismantle it. They would listen to what we had to say but never complied with our demands," said Dr Desai.

It took fifty firemen, two fire fighting vehicles and four water tankers, around 15 minutes to control the fire. "We were lucky to escape. The fire was restricted to the terrace and the building was evacuated really fast," said Bhatt. He added that terraces are not supposed to be used as canteens and even when used ,it can't be a closed one with roofs over it.

The hospital meanwhile in a statement said the discarded materials including some old, broken furniture, placed on top of the rooftop, and the fibre shade caught fire causing heavy smoke. Everyone in the building were evacuated as preventive measure, and infants and patients were moved to a nearby hospital. It however didnot clarify about the illegal structure on the rooftop.

Deepak Narayan, 41, a father who had bought his 13-year-old to the hospital for an eye condition, said, "They had just stepped into the hospital when the fire was reported. "We were just entering the hospital when we saw people rushing out. I am glad I could escape with my daughter in time," said Narayan.

RESTAURANT OWNER OFFERS HELP

Kalyan Singh, owner of Gajanand Poha switched-off the power connection the moment the fire was reported. He also offered the AC restaurant to shelter the infants until they could be shifted to an ambulance. "The rooms were cool despite AC being switched off, and I knew the babies would be safe here," said Singh.

OWNERS OF HOSPITAL INCOMMUNICADO

The owner of the hospital could not be contacted either by the fire officials or even the estate department. "We tried to contact the owners of the hospital after the fire broke out but they have not been responding to our calls," said Rajesh Bhatt, additional chief fire officer.