Short circuit triggers fire at Kanpur's LLR Hospital, sparks panic

Kanpur: A fire broke out at Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital in Kanpur on Wednesday afternoon after a short circuit near the electric panel of the ENT department, triggering panic among patients and attendants at the adjoining ultrasound and X-ray centre. 

According to the news reports, the incident led to the evacuation of more than 100 patients and attendants who had arrived at the diagnostic centre for ultrasound and X-ray examinations. Hospital security guards and staff acted quickly to move people to safety as thick smoke spread across the area.

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The blaze was brought under control within a short time with the help of fire extinguishers used by hospital personnel, preventing the flames from spreading to other parts of the facility. No major damage or casualties were reported in the incident. 

However, due to heavy smoke in the area, ultrasound and X-ray services were temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure.

Speaking to TOI, Hospital Chief Superintendent Prof. Saurav Agrawal said the fire was caused by a short circuit in the electric panel. He said public services were disrupted briefly and efforts were underway to restore them at the earliest.

The hospital administration is also investigating the exact cause of the fire and reviewing safety measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that a massive fire broke out at Chigateri District Hospital in Davangere after an oxygen cylinder exploded inside an operation theatre (OT), causing extensive damage to medical equipment. The incident occurred at 8:45 AM in the surgical unit located on the second floor, where orthopaedic, eye, and ENT surgeries are performed. Around 8 AM, while the medical staff was preparing the operation theatre, a technical fault was detected in a 12-kg oxygen cylinder.

Also Read:Fire at Davangere District Hospital after oxygen cylinder explosion