Ten patients receiving treatment have died following a devastating fire that broke out in the trauma centre intensive care unit of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, authorities confirmed on Monday.
The blaze erupted around 02:30 a.m. local time inside the hospital’s trauma care ICU, according to Odisha’s Chief Minister, Mohan Charan Majhi. Preliminary investigations suggest the fire may have been triggered by an electrical short circuit.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene shortly after the alarm was raised, with fire service personnel working quickly to bring the flames under control. Hospital authorities immediately evacuated patients from the affected intensive care unit as well as nearby wards, transferring them to other departments within the facility to prevent further casualties.
Despite the swift response, ten patients being treated in the intensive care unit lost their lives in the incident. Eleven members of the hospital staff also sustained burn injuries while attempting to rescue patients trapped inside the smoke-filled unit.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the hospital, Majhi praised the courage of the medical and security personnel who risked their lives during the emergency.
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“Medical staff and security personnel risked their lives during the rescue operation,” he said, noting that some of the rescuers were injured and have been directed to receive immediate medical attention.
The state government has announced financial compensation for the families of the victims while ordering a judicial inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and any lapses that may have contributed to the tragedy. Authorities said strict action would be taken against anyone found responsible.
Hospital fires have been a recurring safety concern in India, often linked to electrical faults and overloaded systems in healthcare facilities.
In October last year, six critically ill patients died after a fire broke out in an intensive care unit in Rajasthan. Another blaze in 2024 at a neonatal ICU in Jhansi claimed the lives of at least ten newborn babies.
Earlier incidents include a 2021 fire at Vijay Vallabh Hospital, where 13 patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19 died, as well as a separate blaze that same year in a newborn care unit in Bhandara District that killed ten infants.
The latest tragedy in Cuttack has once again raised urgent questions about fire safety standards in hospitals across India, with calls growing for stricter enforcement of safety protocols and improved infrastructure to prevent similar disasters in the future.