PIMS nursery fire linked to electrical fault

An inquiry committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to investigate the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad has concluded that an electrical fault was the most likely cause of the blaze.

According to the inquiry report, the fire in the hospital’s neonatal nursery was most likely caused by an electrical problem involving the power supply cable of AC unit No. 2. The committee found no evidence of sabotage or a fault originating from the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO).

The investigation also found no evidence that oxygen leakage or an incubator caused the fire. The report said frontline staff responded promptly during the initial moments of the incident and that no individual was found to have committed a criminal offence.

However, the committee identified serious shortcomings in the hospital’s safety arrangements. It found that the nursery did not have an effective automated smoke detection and alarm system.

The report noted that a fire at the nursing hostel on July 6 had also exposed safety deficiencies, but previous fire safety warnings were not properly implemented.

At the time of the incident, 15 newborn babies were receiving treatment in the nursery, despite the unit having a capacity of only 10 beds. Fourteen of the newborns died in the incident.

The inquiry concluded that the deaths were not attributable to a failure of a single neonatal safety system. Instead, multiple weaknesses in the nursery’s safety and emergency arrangements contributed to the tragedy.

The committee recommended further investigation into the electrical installations, emergency evacuation routes and previous safety warnings. It also called for immediate fire safety, life-safety and electrical audits across PIMS.

The report recommended developing dedicated emergency evacuation protocols for newborn babies and urgently activating effective fire detection, alarm and emergency exit systems.