Minor fire in Thane hospital ICU triggers evacuation of elderly patient, blaze doused in an hour; ventilator unit suspected to be cause

THANE: An elderly patient admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in the Rutu Park area was moved out following a minor fire that broke out in the facility on Wednesday morning.

No one was injured in the blaze, officials said.The incident was reported around 11 am at the hospital located near Majiwada, following which the local fire brigade and our regional disaster management cell team rushed to the spot and doused the blaze within an hour.“There were six patients admitted to the hospital at the time of the incident, of which only an elderly patient in the ICU ward was shifted to a safer location. The general ward patients were also safe. The rescue teams managed to control the blaze in time. Preliminary observations revealed the fire was triggered in the ventilator unit,” informed Yasin Tadvi, in charge at the Thane regional disaster management cell.The cause of the blaze and the compliance by the hospital with fire safety norms will also be ascertained and probed, officials said.