Bhubaneswar, Oct. 20: Authorities of the Institute of Medical Science and Sum Hospital, who had allegedly ignored the fire services directorate's recommendations, also did not inform the fire control room after smoke started billowing out of the ICU and dialysis ward.

A major fire broke out at the first floor ICU of Sum hospital in the city on Monday. Attendants of the patients in the ICU were the first to notice the fire that later spread to the nearby wards and other floors of the 1,200-bed hospital. The death toll in the mishap rose to 21 yesterday.

On the delay in informing the fire control room, fire officials, too, said they received a call from one Debeswar Das at 19.32pm on Monday, and acting on the tip-off, rushed to the spot. The fire had broken out almost 20 minutes before Das made the call.

Das, whose father had been admitted at the dialysis word, confirmed this.

"My 60-year-old father was at the dialysis word when smoke started billowing out of the unit. I was buying medicine for him when I noticed the smoke. Later, I made a call to the fire control room and informed them about the incident. They asked for my name to register the call. When I enquired whether the hospital had made any call, they replied in the negative. I disconnected the phone," said the 28-year-old HR manager working in an Angul-based industry.

"After the smoke became thicker, I made another call - after about three minutes. This time, I told them my name and mobile number and rushed to the dialysis ward. I took the help of a nurse and took my father out in a wheelchair," said Das.

Das later decided to shift his father to the nearest hospital. "As there were no vehicles available near the spot, I decided to shift him in an autorickshaw. Though the hospital employees had initially been reluctant in helping me to shift my father, I managed to convince them and brought him to AMRI hospital. My father was the second person to be rushed to AMRI. At present, he is on life support," said Das.

The FIR lodged by the fire services directorate at Khandagiri police station mentioned Das calling the fire control room on his mobile. "Had the hospital authorities informed the fire control room in time, many lives could have been saved," he alleged.

Other witnesses have also alleged that the hospital authorities were trying to contain the fire on their own instead of calling the fire control room immediately. "We will investigate whether the hospital authorities delayed informing the firemen," said a police official.