Fire at hospital in Ahmedabad; 125 patients evacuated, no casualty reported

A fire broke out in the basement of a 10-storey hospital in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city on Sunday, following which around 125 patients were evacuated from the facility as a precautionary measure, officials said. There was so far no report of any casualty, inspector M D Champavat from Sahibaug police station said. Due to the renovation work underway at the hospital, several items stored in the basement caught fire and caused massive smoke, a fire official said.

As per preliminary information, the fire broke out at around 4.30 am in the basement of Rajasthan Hospital, located in the city's Sahibaug area, Champavat said."Fire fighting teams are working to control the blaze. Smoke continues to emanate from the basement of the hospital where the fire broke out," he said."Nearly 125 patients have been evacuated and shifted to different hospitals as a precautionary measure," the police inspector said.

The hospital is run by a charitable trust. The blaze erupted in the second basement of the 10-storey Rajasthan Hospital and a call was received at around 4.30 am, deputy chief fire officer Jayesh Khadia said. Due to the ongoing renovation of the hospital, several items stored in the basement caught fire and caused massive smoke. Around two dozen firefighting vehicles were rushed to the spot, he said. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.