Three Newborns Die in NICU Fire at Amravati Government Hospital

Three newborns died after a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the District Women’s Hospital in Amravati, Maharashtra, in the early hours of Monday.

A ventilator in one of the Special Newborn Care Units on the third floor sparked around 3:15 a.m., igniting a fire that filled the ward with smoke. Hospital staff, nurses and security personnel evacuated the remaining infants. Thirty-six other newborns were moved to safety. Six were later admitted to a super-speciality hospital for further care.

The unit treated premature, low-birth-weight and critically ill babies. One of the three SNCU wards, each designed for 13 infants, was affected. Parents waiting outside described seeing infants covered in black ash as rescuers carried them out.

Police Commissioner Rakesh Ola confirmed the sequence of events. A preliminary account points to the ventilator as the origin. Whether the fire-suppression system activated remains under review; some relatives claimed the water spray failed to engage immediately.

Maharashtra officials ordered a formal probe. The hospital has three SNCU units with a combined capacity of 39. Staff on duty acted quickly once the blaze started, limiting further casualties.

This is not the first recent NICU fire in India. Similar incidents elsewhere have raised questions about equipment maintenance, electrical safety in oxygen-rich environments and staffing levels during night shifts.

Families of the deceased have been notified. The six transferred infants include cases with burns of varying severity; one is reported in critical condition.

Local authorities are examining maintenance records for the ventilator and the ward’s electrical systems. Results of the inquiry will determine any administrative or criminal consequences.