Fire at Pollachi govt hospital’s blood bank; none hurt

Coimbatore: A minor fire broke out at the blood bank of Pollachi Government Hospital on Wednesday night. While two refrigerators and as many air conditioners were gutted, no casualties were reported as there wasn’t anyone at the facility when the incident took place.
Fire and rescue services personnel said the fire broke out around 8.50pm. “There were two refrigerators and two air conditioners in the blood bank. The fire broke out due to short circuiting of the electrical line of the machines. After the incident, the room was filled with thick smoke,” said C Ramasamy, Pollachi fire officer.
The officer said they reached the spot immediately after they were alerted about the incident. “We deployed two fire engines and 13 of our personnel to put out the flames. We managed to bring the fire under control within 15 minutes” The fire and rescue services personnel brought the situation under control by 9.15pm.
Apart from the refrigerators and ACs, some files and papers in the blood bank were also destroyed in the incident. “There wasn’t any staff in the blood bank when the incident occurred. There is no damage to the stored blood and computers in the facility,” the officer said.