Bhavnagar Hospital Fire: Infants Wrapped in Bedsheets Rescued Through Windows as Blaze Spreads
Major fire at Bhavnagar hospital complex leads to evacuation of infants and patients.
A massive fire erupted at dawn on December 3, 2025, in Bhavnagar’s Samip Complex on Kalubha Road, engulfing a multi-storey medical hub housing several hospitals and a pathology lab. The blaze started in the basement parking area, rapidly spreading upward through electrical shafts and flammable materials. Thick black smoke trapped patients, including 15–20 newborns in the NICU and elderly individuals on upper floors. Panic gripped the crowded Kala Nala locality as flames leaped across clinics and diagnostic centres. Residents and staff screamed for help while windows glowed orange in the early morning darkness.
Before fire tenders arrived, local shopkeepers and bystanders turned into instant heroes, smashing windows and forming human chains to evacuate the most vulnerable. Dramatic videos show infants wrapped in bedsheets being carefully passed down makeshift ladders amid choking smoke. Firefighters reached the spot within minutes, deploying six engines and over 50 personnel to battle the inferno from multiple sides. Hydraulic ladders pierced the smoke as rescuers broke glass panes to pull out bedridden patients on stretchers. Cheers erupted each time a tiny bundle or frail elder reached safety on the ground.
Fire Officer Pradyumansinh Jadeja confirmed the blaze originated from a suspected electrical short-circuit in the basement, worsened by stored chemicals in the adjacent Dev Pathology Lab. Over 15 infants and several elderly patients were rescued without any casualties, though a few suffered minor smoke inhalation. Senior officials, including the District Collector, rushed to oversee the operation and arranged immediate medical care for evacuees. Nearby Sir T General Hospital opened emergency wards to accommodate relocated patients from Shubham Neuro Care and other affected facilities.
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By midday the fire was 80% under control, with cooling operations continuing to prevent re-ignition. The complex suffered extensive damage—charred walls, collapsed ceilings, and ruined medical equipment worth crores. Authorities have ordered a forensic probe and a city-wide audit of fire safety norms in healthcare buildings. The incident echoes a similar blaze at ISRO’s Ahmedabad facility in October, highlighting persistent electrical risks in Gujarat.
This near-tragedy has been transformed into a story of extraordinary community courage and swift official response. Residents who risked their lives to save strangers are being hailed as “Bhavnagar’s real superheroes” on social media. Parents of rescued newborns wept in gratitude while firefighters, faces blackened with soot, continued their work silently. No lives were lost, only a powerful reminder of how thin the line is between disaster and miracle.
As the sun set over the still-smouldering complex, Bhavnagar breathed collective relief—but also resolve. The city that witnessed flames devouring its hospitals also saw humanity burn brighter, proving that in the darkest moments, ordinary people become legends. Investigations will assign blame, audits will demand compliance, yet the images of bedsheet-wrapped infants being lowered to safety will endure as Gujarat’s finest hour of 2025.
