Inside night of horror in Bihar hospital: Fire, dense smoke and a scramble for loved ones

It’s been a long day for Raja Ranjan. He and his family spent the last few hours in chaos, desperately searching for a relative, Brijnandan Rai, who had gone missing after a fire broke out at the intensive care unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Muzaffarpur’s Brahampura area.

They tracked him down at another healthcare facility, but found him lying unattended. “He was lying there without proper arrangements. His face, hands and legs had severe burns. His body is covered with blisters. Initially, we could not even recognise him,” Ranjan said. “It was only after the district administration took cognisance that he was shifted and admitted to another hospital. His condition is extremely critical.”

It’s an ordeal several patients’ families suffered hours after the fire broke out between 2 am and 3 am Thursday, killing five patients and injuring several others. The fire prompted a massive evacuation, with the hospital management shifting several patients to other healthcare facilities.

It’s an ordeal several patients’ families suffered hours after the fire broke out between 2 am and 3 am Thursday, killing five patients and injuring several others. The fire prompted a massive evacuation, with the hospital management shifting several patients to other healthcare facilities.

The deceased have been identified as Shashank Kumar of Ratanpur in Aurai, Geeta Devi of Motipur, Uday Jha of Tariyani, Krishnanandan of Aurai, and Sanjeet Kumar of Sahebganj.

Authorities attributed the fire to a possible short circuit, adding that a report is awaited. No arrests have been made yet.

District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen said a probe had been ordered, and that preliminary findings pointed to an electrical fault. Over 25 people are believed to have been admitted in the ICU, although the exact numbers are still unknown.

The incident occurred a day after a fire was reported at a hotel in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar killed 21 people.

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“It appears that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit linked to the monitoring and oxygen supply system in the ICU. However, the actual cause will be known only after a detailed investigation,” he said.

For families like Ranjan’s, who spent hours looking for their loved ones, the incident caused immense anxiety. “My brother-in-law and I came as soon as we got information. As people were taken out, we started looking for our relative, going from hospital to hospital. For nearly five hours, we didn’t know whether he had survived,” Ranjan said.

His sister, Sangeeta Kumari, described the chaos: smoke everywhere and rescuers trying to pull out those trapped inside. “I was the patient’s attendant and was waiting in the hall outside. Around 2 am, we suddenly woke up to a fire. The ICU filled with smoke and nothing was visible. There was chaos but we were too afraid to enter. Some locals came in and began rescuing patients before firefighters joined in.”

Locals became the first responders. Among them was 25-year-old Dheeraj Giri, who works at a sweet shop next door. At 3 am, Giri awoke to loud bangs.

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Residents said the ICU was located on the fifth floor of the hospital building, while the waiting hall was on the fourth floor, complicating rescue efforts.

“I saw smoke coming from one section of the hospital. There were also sounds of explosions, and we ran towards the building,” he said. “I saw that smoke had filled two floors of the hospital. I felt someone might be trapped inside, so I gathered my courage and entered.”

Giri said he managed to pull out seven people.

The district administration has announced a probe involving officials from the fire services, police and local administration. Meanwhile, some patients remain critical. “Out of the patients admitted in the ICU, 18 have been shifted to seven hospitals within Muzaffarpur. Postmortems have been completed and compensation announced by the chief minister has already been provided to the families of three victims,” Muzaffarpur East Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Tushar Kumar.

The police are now looking into complaints and statements from affected families as part of the inquiry.

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“Five people have died in the incident. After postmortem examinations, the bodies have been handed over to their families. Any applications or complaints submitted against the hospital or concerning any aspect of the incident are being received. An FIR will be registered after examining all such complaints,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vinita Sinha said.

The hospital is said to be run by a renowned bone specialist.