Dhenkanal: A major fire broke out on the fifth floor of Dhenkanal District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) on Saturday.
According to the sources, the blaze is suspected to have been triggered after a gas chullah came in contact with the flames of a coal-powered chulha (stove) in the canteen of the hospital. No casualty or injury was reported as patients and their relatives immediately rushed out of the hospital.
On being informed, fire brigade personnel reached the spot and doused the flames.
Though the exact reason of the mishap was yet to be ascertained, the fire personnel rejected gas chullah as the reason since the canteen employees were cooking with the help of coal.
Meanwhile, Dhenkanal Fire Station Assistant Fire Officer Umakant Nayak reached the hospital to investigate whether the hospital had fire safety measures in place. “The DHH has not applied for fire safety licence yet. We have also served a notice to the hospital for the same,” he said.
It is being alleged that the hospital does not have adequate fire safety system to tackle such eventuality.
In October 2016, a major fire broke out at SUM hospital in Odisha capital. A total of 22 persons were killed and 120 injured in the mishap.
