Rajouri/Jammu, March 18- A fire broke out in the Government Medical College (GMC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir today, following which more than 150 patients were evacuated from the hospital. According to officials, a fire broke out in the basement of the hospital located in Rajouri town this morning. Assistant Director of Fire and Emergency Services Himanshu Gupta said that the fire was brought under control within an hour but no one was injured in the incident.
He said that patients and their relatives were evacuated from the hospital building due to smoke filling the wards of the hospital. The official said that three fire brigade vehicles were sent to the spot to douse the fire. He said that an investigation is underway to find out the exact cause of the fire. Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma visited the hospital with his team to take stock of the situation.
"Our priority is to restore normal functioning of the hospital, including OPD services," he said. On the alleged failure of the hospital's internal fire safety system, the Deputy Commissioner said that the matter will be investigated. Officials said that the hospital staff and several volunteers worked quickly and tried to douse the fire. After which the fire brigade personnel took over and confined the fire to the basement.