India, Aug. 25 -- Grieving relatives of three newborns killed in a fire at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharashtra's District Women's Hospital have alleged that the tragedy could have been averted, claiming the fire alarms remained silent and the water-sprinkler system failed when flames engulfed the ward. The blaze broke out around 3.15 am, turning the NICU into a smoke-filled death trap as parents, security guards and hospital staff scrambled to rescue critically ill infants. Thirty-six newborns were rescued, while three died. Praful Chopde, whose five-day-old son died in the fire, accused the hospital administration of negligence and claimed the fire alarm did not sound when the blaze erupted. His wife and newborn had been admitted to the hospital on August 19. Also Read - Will provide government jobs to one lakh youth within six months: CM Yogi Adityanath Advertisement Chopde's relatives questioned why parents and security guards had to rush into the burning ward to save babies and alleged that hospital authorities failed to act immediately. Swapnil Barge, a resident of Pulgaon, said his day-old son also died in the fire. He recalled standing near the hospital gate around 3.30 am when he heard a woman shouting, followed by chaos and the arrival of fire tenders. "I kept looking for my baby and wife, searched a lot but couldn't find him," Barge said, adding that he was informed about his newborn's death only hours later. Relatives of other infants alleged that the ward's sprinkler system, which should have activated as soon as the fire broke out, failed to function. Also Read - Scrap existing questionnaire, formulate new one after consulting political parties, experts: Kharge, Rahul to PM on caste census Yogesh Savarkar, a resident of Achalpur, said he was sleeping outside the hospital while his wife and eight-day-old child were admitted inside. On learning about the fire, he rushed to the first floor and carried his baby to safety. "My child was on the first floor, and I personally went and brought him down. However, I could see black ashes on the other children in the hospital," Savarkar said. He claimed security guards were among the first to reach the ward and help evacuate the babies, while a nurse also assisted in the rescue. Another relative, whose grandson survived, said families sleeping in the waiting area received calls about the fire and rushed to the neonatal ward. The area was completely dark, he said, forcing relatives to use torches and mobile phone lights to locate the infants. Also Read - SC declines to direct reopening of CBSE re-evaluation portal for class 12 answer sheets "It wasn't like I was only looking for my child. We couldn't tell which baby belonged to whom. We picked up whichever infant we saw," he said. He said a nurse had placed children on stretchers before they were shifted to other hospitals, including his grandson. The families said they did not know the exact cause of the blaze but demanded accountability, compensation for those who lost their children and action against officials responsible for the alleged lapses. The incident has also raised questions over fire-safety preparedness at the hospital, particularly the alleged failure of the alarm and sprinkler systems in a ward housing critically ill newborns.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.