Cuttack: Sun Hospital, a multi-speciality private health centre in Cuttack where a major fire broke out today was functioning without fire license or fire safety certificate, informed a senior official.
"We have not granted any fire license to the hospital. The hospital authorities had been directed to adopt adequate fire safety measures. We also conduct evacuation mock drill at the hospital every month. The successful and safe evacuation of patients is the fallout of the mock drill exercise," said Maheswar Swain, Director, Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy (OFDRA).
Swain further said that a probe will be carried out into the circumstances that led to such a mishap.
Explaining about the rescue operations, he said that seven fire fighting units including 50-60 personnel were pressed into service. "We also took the help of hydraulic platform to carry out operations on top of the building. The blaze has been brought under control. We have closed the operations now," he pointed out.
As many as 11 patients were undergoing treatment at the hospital. They have been safely evacuated to other hospitals in the city, Cuttack Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani said.
He further added that a probe has been ordered into the incident to find out whether fire safety measures were in place at the hospital.
Notably, a massive fire broke out at the hospital at around 1 pm today, triggering panic among the patients, attendants and medical staff. The reason of the mishap has not yet been ascertained.