The tragic fire at Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, which claimed the lives of 12 infants, is under investigation by a four-member inquiry team led by Kinjal Singh, the Director General of Medical Education and Training, Uttar Pradesh.
In a report by ANI, Singh confirmed that the preliminary cause of the fire was determined to be a short circuit, though the investigation is ongoing to identify additional factors that contributed to the disaster.
Singh explained that the team is focusing on several aspects of the tragedy, including the placement and condition of electrical installations, exit routes, and the type of extension boards used in the affected rooms.
"We are investigating the three rooms where the fire broke out, including the ICU and step-down units, and closely examining the location of the exit doors. We are also looking into the extension boards used — specifically, which company manufactured them and where they were sourced from," Singh said.
Banned materials used
The inquiry has also delved into reports that banned materials, such as copper and aluminium wiring, were used in the medical college despite regulations prohibiting their use. In response, Singh stated that the college principal would submit a report on this issue.
"We have obtained the electricity audit report for the last four years and are questioning the college administration on the actions taken based on the findings of this report," Singh added.
The fire broke out in the NICU ward of the medical college, which was heavily oxygenated due to the use of oxygen concentrators.
Authorities suspect that the fire may have been sparked by a short circuit in one of the concentrators, and the highly flammable environment in the NICU caused the blaze to spread rapidly, ANI added.
In response to the tragedy, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a high-level committee on Saturday to conduct a thorough investigation. The committee, chaired by the Director General of Medical Education, has been tasked with submitting its report within seven days.