Ten ICU patients died in midnight hospital fire in India’s Odisha 

Ten critically ill patients have been killed and eleven hospital staff members wounded after a devastating fire tore through the Trauma Care Intensive Care Unit of a major government hospital in India’s Odisha State in the early hours of Monday, triggering a judicial inquiry and national mourning.

The fire erupted at the Trauma Care ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack — one of Odisha’s largest state-run medical facilities — between 2:30 am and 3:00 am, where critically ill patients were undergoing treatment. The blaze is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit. There were 23 patients in the trauma care ICU and an adjacent ICU and ward when the fire broke out.

Seven patients died in the fire itself, while three others succumbed to burns or suffocation during evacuation. “A total of 10 patients have died in the incident,” Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told reporters after rushing to the hospital alongside Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling to review the situation. The unit housed critically ill patients, many on ventilators and oxygen support, making evacuation extremely challenging.

Fire service personnel rushed to the hospital and doused the flames, working alongside hospital staff, police, and patients’ attendants to rescue those undergoing treatment in the ICU and shift them to other departments. Around 11 hospital staff members sustained burn injuries while attempting to rescue patients.

Chief Minister Majhi ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident and directed authorities to immediately shift affected patients to safe locations and continue their treatment without disruption. He also announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia assistance for the families of each deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

President Droupadi Murmu expressed deep distress over the loss of lives and prayed for a speedy recovery of the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased, with the injured also set to receive financial support.

The chief minister noted that the government had made provision of Rs 320 crore in the 2025-26 budget for improving fire safety infrastructure in hospitals, with another Rs 400 crore earmarked for the 2026-27 financial year — allocations that will now face intense scrutiny given the scale of the tragedy.

The disaster has reignited longstanding concerns about fire safety at medical facilities across India, particularly in ICUs where oxygen-rich environments and electrical equipment significantly increase fire risks. Experts have called for regular fire audits, updated electrical systems, smoke detectors, sprinkler installations, and mandatory staff training as essential preventive measures.

The Leader of the Opposition in Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, expressed grief over the deaths and announced plans to visit SCB Medical College and Hospital as the state comes to terms with one of its worst hospital tragedies in recent memory.