26 newborns evacuated after fire breaks out at Kalaburagi hospital

26 infants were evacuated safely after a fire broke out at a district general hospital in Kalaburagi on Wednesday, police said.

The fire was triggered by a short-circuit in an air-conditioner. However, alert doctors and hospital staff acted swiftly to shift the infants, police said.

“All the 26 infants were transferred to private hospitals. No infant has been affected by the incident. Short-circuit in the AC is suspected to have caused the blast,” district surgeon Nalini Namoshi said.

A fire tender was rushed to the spot and the fire was put out, police said.

Karnataka medical education minister Sharan Prakash Patil has sought a report on the incident, officials said.