Staff Reporter:
A fire that broke out at Khulna City Medical College Hospital on Thursday night has been brought under control after two hours of effort.
The blaze erupted at 9:33pm on the ground floor of the hospital’s 17-storey building, located at the Moylapota intersection in the Sonadanga area, according to the media cell of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
Twelve firefighting units rushed to the spot and tamed the fire around 11:45pm, Khulna Fire Service Senior Station Officer Arif Ul Islam said, adding that no casualties were reported.
The cause of the fire could not be known immediately.
After the fire broke out, patients and their attendants became stranded on different floors of the hospital.
Several hospital staff members who were rescued said that patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and cabins on the ninth and tenth floors, as well as on the upper floors, were safe.
However, the spread of smoke throughout the hospital triggered panic among patients and attendants. Many patients were evacuated from the building as a precautionary measure.
Witnesses said smoke was first seen coming from the generator room on the ground floor of the hospital. Within a short time, it spread to different parts of the building.
A large number of curious onlookers gathered around the hospital premises during the incident.
Alongside firefighters, members of law enforcement agencies, including Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and local residents also assisted in the rescue operation.
