Fire at Lopburi hospital ICU leads to 81 patient evacuation
A blaze erupted at Ananda Mahidol Hospital, specifically in the basement ICU, prompting the swift evacuation of 81 patients. The governor of Lopburi led the emergency response team on site to manage the situation efficiently.
Yesterday, December 28, an intense fire broke out late at night in the ICU section of Ananda Mahidol Hospital, located in Lopburi’s Mueang District. This incident led to a rapid response by the Lopburi Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office.
Numerous firefighting and rescue units from various municipalities were dispatched to the scene. The determined efforts of these teams managed to bring the fire under control by 1am. Although the fire was extinguished, an assessment of the total damage is yet to be completed.
The initial investigation indicated that the fire was caused by a battery short circuit in the basement of a six-storey building, which led to flames and thick black smoke. At the time of the incident, there were critically ill patients and other individuals within the building.
Consequently, emergency personnel and various departments coordinated the evacuation of all 81 patients from the premises.
The evacuated patients included 14 male geriatric patients, three critically ill children, five semi-critical patients, 10 female orthopaedic patients, 20 male surgical patients, 11 children, one infant, two VIP patients, and 16 female medical patients. This comprehensive evacuation plan ensured that all individuals were safely relocated from the affected area, reported KhaoSod.
Following the evacuation, six critically ill patients were transferred to nearby hospitals to receive continued care. These included one patient sent to Mueang Narai Hospital, four patients to Phra Narai Hospital, and one patient to Phramongkutklao Hospital. Notably, there were no injuries or fatalities resulting from this incident.
In related news, chaos erupted late on December 16 in Pattaya as a fire broke out in a four-storey apartment building, sending thick smoke billowing into the air that was seen from miles around. Despite the panic, no injuries were reported in the incident, which could have ended far worse.
