Three Newborns Die After Fire Breaks Out in Amravati Hospital NICU

Three newborn infants were killed after a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the District Women's Hospital in Amravati during the early hours of Monday.

The blaze was triggered when a ventilator caught fire inside the specialised care unit, filling the facility with smoke and causing widespread panic around 3:30 am. Emergency services, including the fire brigade, were deployed to the government hospital to bring the situation under control.

Among the casualties was the day-old son of Swapnil Barge, a resident of Pulgaon village. Barge's wife had delivered the premature and underweight infant at another hospital on Sunday, after which both mother and child were referred to the District Women's Hospital so the newborn could be admitted to the NICU.

Barge had spent the night awake after phoning his family to share the news of his son's birth. He was standing near the hospital gate with a friend at around 3:30 am when he heard shouting, followed by an uproar across the hospital complex as fire personnel arrived.

In the ensuing chaos, Barge searched through the hospital corridors looking for his wife and newborn child. His search ended at 7:30 am on Monday morning, when he was informed that his infant son was among the three newborns who had died in the blaze.