Father’s hope dashed as fire at RIMS claims newborn daughter in Adilabad, Telangana
Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha consoled Salim Khan at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Adilabad on Tuesday. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT
Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha inspects the site of a fire at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Adilabad on Tuesday. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT
ADILABAD
Salim Khan of Ichoda was hopeful that his five-day-old premature daughter would recover and return home. But Monday’s late night fire at the Special Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Adilabad turned that hope into sadness.
He hoped to take her home after she recovered, even though his wife was recovering in the maternity ward of another hospital in the city after a caesarean section.
His daughter was among three infants who died after allegedly suffering from smoke inhalation following a fire that reportedly started after an air conditioner ignited.
The child, who was on ventilator support at SNUC, died in the incident. Two more children, one from Indervelli and the other from Utnoor mandal, succumbed to their injuries in the early hours of Tuesday while undergoing treatment at hospitals in Adilabad and Nizamabad, sources said.
“Smoke enveloped my daughter’s face as she was brought from SNUC amid stifling conditions,” said Salim Khan, visibly shaken by the loss. “We admitted that she had hoped that she would recover soon and return home. But those hopes were dashed by the fire.”
Approximately 27 infants were reportedly present at SNUC when the incident occurred.
According to eyewitness accounts, the rapid evacuation of the infants by RIMS staff and patient nurses helped prevent further casualties as thick smoke quickly filled the SCNU.
Despite poor visibility and suffocating conditions, they moved the infants from the unit and moved them to safety.
“As soon as I noticed the thick smoke coming out of the SNUC, I rushed to save the infant,” said the patient’s nurse, who was in the hospital corridor at the time.
“I, along with others, broke the glass windows to let the smoke escape, then entered SNUC and covered my face with a t-shirt. Despite the thick smoke, I saw hospital staff and family members carry the babies out in their arms. They were later transported in ambulances to nearby children’s hospitals,” he recalled.
Another eyewitness, a woman who was at the hospital, said she heard a loud noise before she rushed to SNUC. “I found the ward full of dark smoke. I immediately took my premature granddaughter out before the smoke got worse,” she said, expressing dismay at the incident at the unit, which was supposed to provide critical care for premature and vulnerable newborns.
A quick evacuation was essential to prevent further loss of life, the eyewitness said.
A relative of the Utnoor child expressed concern over the need for regular maintenance of the air-conditioning systems at SNUC, which operates 24 hours a day.
The remaining 24 infants were taken to various children’s hospitals for further treatment and are in stable condition, according to officials.
Published – 22 Sep 2026 19:55 IST