Mumbai: ESIC Kamgar hospital staff, locals serve as messiah to save people from fire

After a fire occurred at the ESIC Kamgar hospital at Marol's MIDC area in Andheri east, on Monday, hospital staff and locals showed their presence of mind and helped the fire brigade to rescue people trapped in the accident spot .

S A Shaikh, a fire brigade official from Goregaon said that they received a lot of help from the staff and locals in locating people trapped in the hospital building. He added that the hospital's staff had effective knowledge about the building and guided the rescue team in their operations. "Most of the employees were done with their shift when the fire icident happened. Once they got to know, they came back to help," Shaikh said. Shaikh further said that the employees carried patients and trapped victims on their shoulders to a window from where the firemen took lead and rescued them.

Sudhir Jadhav, a local, who was also aware of the hospital's layout, used his mobile phone torch to locate people and carry them on his shoulders. "There was complete darkness. The place was full of smoke. It was difficult to see things at a metre's distance. We opened every door to check if anyone was trapped," Jadhav said. He added that the people suffered injury mostly due to the smoke.

Krishna Ramchandra, another resident, who also helped people in getting out of the hospital said, "Up to the fourth floor, paper and wooden furnishings were burnt. Local residents brought their sarees and used it as ropes to bring people down until the fire brigade came and started its rescue operations.

However, due to the crowd, the rescue operations got affected. "There was no space for ambulances to enter the front road," a fireman said.

IN WRONG HANDS

Feb 11, 2017
A ‘Level 3 fire’ in the basement of the Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel, Mumbai (Injured/died: Nil)

Oct 26, 2016
At Asian Heart Institute Hospital in BKC, Mumbai (Injured/died: Nil)

March 15, 2014
A short circuit in the air condition duct of the CVTS department caused a fire in one of the buildings of the BMC run KEM hospital in Parel, where the first floor was entirely gutted. (Injured/died: Nil)

April 4, 2013
On the fourth floor of a five storey private hospital Sushrut at Swastik Chambers in Chembur (Injured/died: Nil)

Compiled by DNA–Research N Archives