Cuttack: A fire broke out in the surgery department of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Odisha’s Cuttack city on Thursday, triggering temporary anxiety on the hospital premises.
Official sources confirmed the mishap was caused by an electrical short circuit, which is being attributed to excessive load on the electrical cables amid the prevailing heatwave conditions.
According to sources, hospital security personnel noticed sparks and minor flames emitting from an electrical node on the ground floor of the surgery department at around 12:50 pm. Demonstrating quick thinking, the security staff immediately deployed on-site fire extinguishers to control the initial flare-up.
Firefighting team from SCB fire station also rushed to the spot on receiving alerts, but the flames by then had already been brought under control by the hospital staff and security personnel.
While the fire once again raised concerns over fire safety measures at the premier healthcare institution, the authorities confirmed that the situation was tackled instantly and no injuries or major property damage were reported.
Notably, 17-bed trauma care ICU is currently functioning in the ground floor as an interim arrangement for trauma patients until the completion of the judicial inquiry into the March 16 fire mishap, which claimed 10 lives.
