Minor fire at burns ward in Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, all 26 patients evacuated

For patients already fighting to recover from the trauma of burns, the irony could not have been more cruel. In the pre-dawn hours on Tuesday (July 1, 2025), a fire broke out inside the Mahabodhi Burns Ward of the State-run Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, leading to fear and panic among patients and their attenders.

As smoke engulfed the unit, 26 patients, including five in the ICU, were hurriedly evacuated. For those already scarred by burns, the fear of facing yet another fire was both surreal and terrifying.

A fire broke out inside the Mahabodhi Burns Ward of the State-run Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru at around 3 a.m. on July 1, 2025.
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Short circuit in a switch board

The fire, which broke out around 3 a.m., is suspected to have originated from a short circuit in a switch board in the seminar room adjacent to the ward on the first floor of the building. A female resident doctor, who noticed the smoke, immediately informed the authorities. There were 10 patients on the first floor.

Responding swiftly to the situation, the hospital authorities, with assistance from the fire and emergency services, safely evacuated all 26 patients, including five who were being treated in the ICU. The patients were immediately shifted to the H-Block of the hospital to ensure uninterrupted care.

Hospital officials confirmed that no casualties or injuries were reported in the incident. Prompt action by the hospital staff and emergency teams helped prevent the fire from spreading further.

Transferred patients receive uninterrupted care

Hospital staff activated Code Red and Code Orange after they got the fire alert. There were 24 staff on duty at the ward in the night. 
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Ramesh Krishna, Dean and Director of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), Deepak S, Medical Superintendent, and Yogeshwarappa C N, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery and Burns at the hospital, supervised the evacuation and patient transfer.

“Thanks to the quick response of our staff and the fire department, all patients are safe and continue to receive medical care in the alternate facility,” said Dr Krishna.

Repairs, safety checks underway

The fire is suspected to have originated from a short circuit in a switch board in the seminar room adjacent to the ward on the first floor of the building
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Fire personnel brought the situation under control in a short span, and cooling operations were completed soon after. “As soon as we got an alert, Code Red and Code Orange were activated. There were 24 staff on duty at the ward in the night and those of us who were at home rushed to get the patients evacuated. Fortunately, none of the ICU patients were on a ventilator. We ensured their oxygen supply was not interrupted during the evacuation,”  Dr. Yogeshwarappa told The Hindu.

“It was really chaotic as we had to reassure the patients and their attenders that everything was ok. There were seven paediatric patients out of which two were in the ICU. We carried some children in our arms and shifted them for quicker evacuation,” he said, adding the entire process including evacuation and was completed within an hour..

The burns ward area is currently under inspection, and normal services are expected to resume after necessary repairs and safety checks, he added.