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Three newborns were killed after a fire broke out in the NICU of Amravati District Women’s Hospital at around 3.30 am. Six infants were shifted for critical care.
Amravati District Women’s Hospital NICU fire kills three newborns (Video screengrabs)
Three newborns were tragically killed after a major fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), also referred to as the Special Newborn Care Unit, at the District Women’s Hospital in Amravati, Maharashtra, early Monday.
The fire reportedly broke out at nearly 3.30 am on the third floor of the hospital following an unexpected explosion or short circuit involving a ventilator inside the NICU.
The three newborns suffered severe burn injuries and subsequently lost their lives in the incident.
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At the time the fire broke out, 39 newborn babies were admitted to the ward, according to the details shared about the incident.
As smoke and flames spread through the NICU, duty doctors, nurses and other hospital staff immediately stepped in to evacuate the newborns from the affected ward.
The hospital staff acted swiftly to rescue the infants trapped inside the unit and move them away from the fire and smoke.
Several babies were evacuated from the NICU as the rescue effort began in the early hours.
Six of the rescued newborns who required critical medical care were subsequently rushed to and admitted to the Super Speciality Hospital for further treatment.
The incident left three newborns dead, while the condition of the infants requiring further critical care remained a matter of concern.
Ventilator Explosion Or Short Circuit Suspected
The fire reportedly started after an unexpected ventilator explosion or short circuit inside the NICU. The incident occurred while the newborns were receiving care in the specialised unit on the hospital’s third floor.
The details shared so far point to the ventilator-related incident as the trigger for the blaze.
Similar Incident Reported In Madhya Pradesh
The Amravati fire comes against the backdrop of a similar incident reported from Madhya Pradesh earlier this month.
On August 22, one newborn died, and two others suffered burn injuries after a warmer machine allegedly caught fire in the NICU of a district hospital in Chhindwara.
The incident took place around 2 am after sparks from the warmer machine’s filament allegedly triggered the fire. Hospital staff used firefighting equipment to put out the blaze.
The hospital administration launched an inquiry to determine the cause of the Chhindwara fire, officials said.
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About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has more than 10 years of experience in national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
August 24, 2026, 07:05 IST
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