LAHORE: Medical equipment and other goods were reduced to ashes after a fire erupted in an operating theatre of the Jinnah Hospital here on Monday.

The incident occurred at the first floor of the hospital and no injury was reported to any staff member or patient as all were shifted to a safe place.

An official said the doctors were preparing for a surgery procedure when suddenly they noticed smoke began to spread in the theatre.

He said the medics and other employees rushed out of the theatre which later caught fire. The hospital administration immediately called Rescue 1122 for help, he said adding that the fire had engulfed a major portion of the facility before the arrival of the rescuers.

Meanwhile, he said, the administration got the nearby wards vacated and shifted the patients to other wards to avoid any mishap.

The Rescue 1122 firefighters controlled the ablaze after hectic efforts of three hours or so.

The official said the hospital administration denied the reports that the fire had also reached to the second floor saying it was contained at the operating theatre by the Rescue 1122.

The institute has formed a committee of senior doctors, admin officials and other staff to assess the reasons which led to the fire, he said adding that the committee shall also submit a report about the impact of the damage.

The operating theatre may take some weeks or months to start functioning fully, the official said.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2022