Minor fire at one of the hangers (sections) of covid centre at Dahisar near Checknaka on Sunday afternoon, spread panic amongst the patients and staff. While the fire was doused off within five minutes, patients were immediately evacuated and shifted to another hanger in the centre as a precautionary measure.
While the Mumbai Fire Brigade's control room stated that a short circuit might be the factor for the fire, staff at the Dahisar covid centre said it was not a short circuit. "The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, it is definitely not an electrical shortcut. As soon as the fire was doused off, staff and firefighters checked the spot and found all the wires and electrical equipment were intact. Prima Facie it looked as if someone threw something or it fell from the rooftop. We are investigating to ascertain the cause of the fire. Patients are all safe and shifted to another section which was ready," said Dr Deepa Shriyan in charge dean of Dahisar Covid Centre and Associate Professor of BYL Nair Hospital.
The fire was minor whoever is spread panic across reminding the scene of the massive blaze that engulfed the Sunrise hospital (covid care centre) inside Dreams Mall in Bhandup, killing 11 people. "Without thinking for another second our staff started evacuating the patients, ensuring their safety. It is challenging for even the staff. The relieving part is the fire was minor and was doused within five minutes, patients were all shifted to safety immediately," added Shriyan.
This is not the first time that a mishap was averted at the Dahisar Covid Centre. On October 29, 2020, a small short-circuit in medical equipment installed next to the bed of a patient-led to a minor fire at the centre. However, the staff of the centre managed to douse off the fire. The video of the incident immediately went viral across social networking sites and BMC took to Twitter to praise the staff for the alert and quick action which averted a mishap.
