Jaipur’s SMS Hospital fire: Deadly blaze in ICU kills 6, leaves 5 in critical state; what triggered it?

A devastating fire tore through the trauma ICU of Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital late on Sunday night, claiming six lives and leaving five patients in critical condition.

The blaze, which erupted on the hospital’s second floor, sent patients, relatives, and hospital staff into chaos as smoke and toxic gases quickly engulfed the ward.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire, with a short circuit suspected, though confirmation will only come after forensic analysis.

Chaos erupts in the ICU

SMS Hospital Trauma Centre In-charge Anurag Dhakad told ANI that the fire began in the trauma ICU and spread rapidly.

“Our trauma centre has two ICUs on the second floor: a trauma ICU and a semi-ICU. We had 24 patients there; 11 in the trauma ICU and 13 in the semi-ICU. A short circuit occurred in the trauma ICU, and the fire spread rapidly, releasing toxic gases,” he said.

Also read: Jaipur: Six patients killed as fire breaks out in ICU of hospital

Most of the patients were comatose, complicating evacuation.

Dhakad described the desperate rescue efforts: “Our trauma centre team, our nursing officers, and ward boys, immediately rescued them on trolleys and brought as many patients as we could out of the ICU and shifted them to another location. Six of those patients were very critical; we tried very hard to revive them with CPR, but they couldn't be saved.”

According to Dhakad, two of the deceased were women and four were men. Five patients remain critical after being evacuated from the ward.

Allegations of negligence surface

As the hospital struggled to contain the fire, relatives recounted terrifying scenes and raised questions about the hospital’s preparedness.

Puran Singh, a relative of a patient, said, "When there was a spark, there was a cylinder beside it. The smoke spread throughout the ICU, causing everyone to flee in panic. Some managed to rescue their own patients, but mine was left alone in the room. As the gas spread further, they shut the gates."

Narendra Singh added, "There was a fire in the ICU, and I didn't even know. I had come downstairs to have dinner at the time. There wasn't even any equipment to douse the fire — no facilities were available. My mother was admitted there."

Om Prakash, whose 25-year-old maternal aunt’s son was admitted, said, "Smoke started spreading around 11:20pm, and I warned the doctors that it could cause discomfort to patients. By the time the smoke intensified, the doctors and compounders had already fled. Only 4 to 5 patients were evacuated. Tragically, my maternal aunt's son lost his life due to the incident. He was about to recover and was scheduled to be discharged in two-three days."

Families demand answers

Several relatives alleged serious lapses in response.

"My mother was admitted to the ICU. When the spark occurred, I alerted the doctors four to five times that it was coming from there, but they dismissed it as normal. Suddenly, smoke engulfed the area, and all the staff ran out, leaving no one to help or save my mother. I was outside when I asked the police, and they said everyone had been evacuated. However, my mother and brother were still trapped inside the hospital. Somehow, I managed to rescue my brother, but he is now in critical condition," recalled Jogendra Singh.

Ranjit Singh Rathore recounted, "I had just arrived this evening. I rushed to the hospital, but initially, they wouldn't let me inside. After some time, I managed to enter. When I went in, I found my brother dead."

Rescue operations concluded shortly after the blaze was brought under control, but the tragedy has left deep scars on both patients’ families and hospital staff.