Fire Breaks Out At AIIMS, 34 Fire Engines Rushed To The Spot

Short circuit is suspected to be the cause of the fire.

New Delhi:  A major fire broke out  at the second floor of the PC building in AIIMS Hospital at around 5pm this evening. 34 fire engines were rushed to the spot.Short circuit is suspected to be the cause of the fire. As the fire engulfed the second floor of the PC and Teaching Block,  patients were immediately evacuated and brought to other wards by hospital staff and rescue officials. As per details available, the fire broke out at the second floor and spread to the lower floor causing panic among patients, their relatives and the hospital staff. There is no report of any casualty so far. Visuals showed smoke billowing out from top of the premier health institute. A Delhi Fire Services official told news agency PTI that they received a call of fire in the PC and Teaching Block of the hospital at around 5 PM and 15 fire tenders were immediately dispatched to contain it. Being a Saturday, there was fewer staff or else there would have been casualties. The fire spread into a microbiology lab where it raged because of the chemicals kept inside. An employee of the hospital said the first priority was to rescue patients. "Patients were shifted immediately. There is no casualty." Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley is also undergoing treatment at the hospital but at a different building, reports said. According to an update at 6:15 pm, the fire was said to have been brought under control. More details are awaited.