Fire at Surat's private hospital; all patients evacuated safely, no casualty reported

Surat, May 6 (PTI) All patients were evacuated safely after a fire broke out on the ground floor of a four-storey private hospital in Surat city of Gujarat on Tuesday evening, officials said.

No casualty was reported in the blaze which started in the store room of the medical facility, they said.

The blaze, whose cause was not immediately known, was brought under control after an hour by firefighters, said the officials.

"A fire broke out in the store room on the ground floor of Mission Hospital on Athwalines, and smoke spread to all parts of the hospital. No casualty has been reported," DCP Rakesh Barot said.

Smoke billowing from the ground floor of the hospital entered other parts of the building, Fire Officer Krishna Modi said.

Around a dozen fire tenders were rushed to the spot and flames were brought under control, he said.

"Smoke reduced visibility. As soon as we reached there, we made force entry for firefighting. The fire occurred at around 6 pm, and it took a little more than an hour to bring the flames under total control. Hospital staff said they safely evacuated all patients," the officer informed.

However, it was not clear how many patients were admitted in the hospital at the time of the fire and where they were moved.

Visuals showed a patient being shifted from his hospital bed, while a volunteer claimed around 20 people admitted at the facility were moved to safer places.

Hospital authorities were not immediately available for comments. PTI COR KA PD RSY