Baby Girl Charred, Two Boys Suffocate in Amravati Government Hospital Fire A fire erupted at the newborn care unit of the District Women’s Hospital in Amravati on the early hours of Monday, August 24, 2026, resulting in the deaths of three infants. The incident occurred in the new building’s third-floor SNCU (Sick Newborn Care Unit), where the victims—two boys and one girl aged between 2 days and 10 days—were receiving treatment for neonatal conditions or low birth weight. The fire, suspected to have originated from a short circuit in a ventilator’s monitor, rapidly spread through the unit, engulfing critical medical equipment such as baby warmers and ventilators. The blaze, which began around 3:30 AM, led to the immediate evacuation of 36 babies from the SNCU to other units of the hospital. The mothers of these infants were located on different floors, allowing staff to safely relocate them. However, the fire’s intensity and the presence of flammable materials, including plastic components and oxygen supplies, exacerbated the situation. Four to six additional babies suffered burn injuries, with some in critical condition, and were transferred to the Divisional Referral Service Hospital (Super Speciality) and Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Medical College Hospital for treatment. Eyewitnesses reported that a ventilator in the SNCU “suddenly exploded,” a rare medical event that likely contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. The hospital’s in-built firefighting system failed to activate, forcing firemen to take nearly 20 minutes to bring the situation under control. The SNCU, which had been operational for just one year, housed nine infants at the time of the incident.#devendra_fadnavis #amravati #prakash_abitkar #chandrashekar_bawankule #district_womens_hospital
Doctors and Nurses Rescue 36 Infants from Hospital Fire in Amravati A fire erupted at the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of District Women’s Hospital, commonly referred to as Dufferin Hospital, in Amravati on Monday morning, prompting on-duty medical staff to evacuate 36 infants from the burning ward. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m., with three infants succumbing to suffocation during the chaos. Hospital authorities confirmed that the SNCU, which operates in three distinct wings, was the epicenter of the disaster. Nine infants were present in the wing where the fire originated, while 30 others were receiving treatment in the remaining two wings. According to hospital officials, nurse Lalita Kasdekar was the first to detect the fire and immediately triggered an emergency response. She coordinated with fellow nurses Madhuri Dhumale, Akash Chavan, Jayashri Dhurve, and Rita Dale to safely extract the infants from the affected wing. Dr. Preeti Ingle, the hospital’s in-charge, recounted the harrowing sequence of events, stating that as the flames spread, infants positioned near the ventilator on either side perished due to smoke inhalation. The situation grew perilous for the medical team as well. Dr. Hisham Inamdar, one of the on-duty physicians, reportedly became unconscious from smoke exposure while attempting to rescue additional infants during a second entry into the ward. Dr. Minal Awaghad, another doctor present, assisted in the rescue efforts, ensuring the remaining infants were relocated to safety. The hospital administration emphasized the swift actions of the staff, which prevented a greater loss of life despite the severity of the fire. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the blaze, though no official details have been released.#amravati #district_womens_hospital #dufferin_hospital #lalita_kasdekar #madhuri_dhumale
Silent alarms, failed sprinklers, babies covered in soot: Families recount Amravati NICU fire horror A fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the District Women’s Hospital in Amravati, Maharashtra, early on the morning of August 19, leaving at least three newborns dead and dozens of families in despair. Eyewitnesses and hospital staff described a harrowing scene as flames engulfed the ward housing critically ill infants, with fire alarms failing to activate and sprinklers proving ineffective. Parents and security guards rushed into the smoke-filled unit to rescue soot-covered babies, while hospital staff managed to save 36 infants from the blaze. The incident, which occurred around 3:15 a.m., sparked outrage among families who accused the hospital administration of negligence. Praful Chopde, a grieving father who lost his five-day-old son in the fire, claimed the alarms did not sound during the emergency. “I had just admitted my baby and his mother to the hospital on August 19, and I was blessed with a son,” Chopde told reporters. “But now, he’s gone, and I believe the hospital’s failure to act contributed to his death.” His wife, who had not seen their newborn in five days, questioned why only the infants were harmed, with no staff injured. Swapnil Barge, another father who lost his day-old son, recounted the chaos. “I was standing at the hospital gate with a friend when I heard a woman shouting, but we were not told anything. Then there was an uproar, and the fire brigade arrived,” Barge said. “I searched for my baby and wife for hours but couldn’t find him.” Hours later, he was informed that his newborn had died. Eyewitnesses described the fire spreading rapidly through the NICU ward, with flames consuming the first floor where many infants were admitted.#amravati #district_womens_hospital #praful_chopde #swapnil_barge #yogesh_savarkar
