A massive tragedy was averted in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday after a fire broke out in a private hospital. The fire which broke out in the canteen of SP Fort hospital was quickly doused. Critical patients in the hospital had to be shifted to another hospital as smoke engulfed the hospital building.

The incident happened on Thursday morning. All patients and staff at the hospital were safely evacuated, with only those in serious condition being shifted to another hospital. SP Fort hospital is located in the city centre, only about two kilometres from the state Secretariat.

Thiruvananthapuram MLA and Minister-designate Antony Raju who came to the spot told media that there have been no casualties. “There is no major damage or any casualties. It is learned from the hospital officials that the fire broke out from the exhaust fan. Patients in serious condition have been shifted to a hospital in Sasthamangalam. Things are normal now,” said Antony Raju. Since the Fire and Rescue officials rushed to the spot, a major tragedy was averted, he added.

Meanwhile, a witness who was in the hospital canteen told the media that fire allegedly spread from the cooking stove. “I saw the fire falling onto a gas cylinder kept in the canteen,” he alleged. However, hospital officials said that, though many gas cylinders were near the spot from where the fire was reported, it did not catch fire. “The cylinders have been disabled,” a doctor told Manorama News.

A patient who was under treatment said that the smoke from the fire reached his room on the fourth floor. Efforts are underway to return patients back to the hospital.

Watch visuals from the hospital: