Cuttack: Malfunctioning of a pipeline at an oxygen distribution point at the SCB Medical College and Hospital was mistaken to be a fire breakout, causing panic for a few hours on Monday morning.
Officials from the fire services said continuous cracking sounds, accompanied by leakage in gas pipeline near a distribution panel, was taken to be fire caused by short circuit.
A fire breakout call was received at the Buxi Bazar fire station around 5.34am. It was reported that fire had broke out at the casualty and trauma care building and was caused due to short circuit after a lightening. But when teams from the fire station and the hospital's fire outpost reached the spot, there was no semblance of any electrical short circuit or any fire.
Assistant fire officer in-charge (Cuttack) Rajendra Jena said: "There was visible confusion in the casualty and trauma care building. But on inspection it was found that the bursting of oxygen gas pipeline at some points due to malfunctioning of a valve was mistaken to be fire."
"The malfunctioning occurred at the oxygen gas pipeline distribution point on the ground floor of the casualty and trauma care building," Jena said. "Normality returned outside the building, where public had gathered by then. It was clarified to them that there had been no fire."
The hospital continues to use obsolete gas pipelines hooked to oxygen cylinders instead of the liquid oxygen plant, which is more reliable.
Hospital manager B.N. Sahu said: "The hospital, however, has emergency oxygen cylinders in the ICUs and wards in case there is malfunctioning."
"Besides, normal functioning of the gas pipeline was restored immediately by attending to the leakage points and control devices," he said.
Sahu said several air-conditioners were apparently affected by short circuit due to lightning, but they were restored one after the other. He said there was no power failure in the morning due to short circuit, but there was customary disconnection of power during the lightning and heavy rain in the morning.
