Fire breaks out at Calcutta Medical College, 250 patients evacuated

A fire broke out in the dispensary of the state-run Medical College and Hospital here Wednesday following which around 250 patients have been evacuated from the premises, fire officials said.

No one has been injured in the blaze that broke out at 8 am in the dispensary located on the ground floor. Ten fire tenders have been engaged for taming the fire, the officials said.

Some of the evacuated patients have been shifted to other state-run hospitals.

The Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, commonly referred to as Calcutta Medical College, was established in 1835 and is the second oldest medical college in India after Ecole de Medecine of Puducherry.

Thick smoke was seen billowing from the ground floor of the hospital's main building where the dispensary is housed. Medicines stocked in the dispensary have been reduced to ashes.

A senior fire official said the fire has been brought under control.

"Fire broke out at the medicine counter at around 8 am. Since this is a huge medical facility and so many patients come here everyday, we did not want to take any chance," a senior fire official said.

A disaster management team of the Kolkata Police, fire officials and senior officials are on the spot.

"I have been told that patients have been evacuated. We are looking into the incident," Mayor Sovan Chattopadhyay said.