Fire breaks out at Delhi AIIMS, situation under control

New Delhi: A fire which broke out earlier at the AIIMS here on Saturday has been brought under control. 22 fire tenders were rushed to the site. Dark plumes of smoke were seen billowing out from top of the premier health institute.

There was no immediate report of anyone being injured in the blaze. A Delhi Fire Services official said that they received a call of fire in the PC and Teaching Block of the hospital at around 5 PM and 22 fire tenders were immediately dispatched to contain it.

Former finance minister Arun Jaitley is admitted at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the cardio-neuro centre, housed in a different building in the complex.

The fire caused extensive damages to the first, second and third floor of the PC Block was doused by approximately 6:25 pm.

However, as a precautionary measure, patients and other occupants from the AB 1 to AB 7 wards were evacuated to Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences and other safe areas.

The PC Block is a non-patient block comprising of research labs, doctors rooms etc, however, it is interconnected to the Emergency Wing of the hospital.
A short circuit is suspected to have caused the blaze.

A little earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed the hope that the fire would quickly be brought under control and urged the people to remain calm.

"The fire in AIIMS building will be brought under control at the earliest. Fire service trying its best to extinguish the fire. I appeal to everyone to maintain calm and allow the Fire Services personnel to do their work," Kejriwal's posted on his twitter handle.

According to an AIIMS official, a total of 15,000 new patients visit the hospital, out of which almost one-third visit the Emergency wing.