The B-Block of Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital was filled with smoke when panicked parents were evacuating their children to safety during the fire incident on Friday afternoon.

Mohammad Shahjahan had an oxygen cylinder on his shoulder as he was rushing down the stairs.

His niece was receiving treatment on the third floor, but taken outside after the fire started on the fourth floor. The child needed oxygen support but the main oxygen line closed after the fire incident.

At the hospital premises outside the main building, visibly distraught parents and relatives gathered with the children in their arms or laps amid intense heat. The child patients, already suffering from diseases, lay still. Some were crying.

The firefighters brought the fire under control in an hour on Friday afternoon, but the patients and their parents suffered longer before their transfer to other hospitals.

Rihan, a three and a half years old boy who was identified with a single name, had an operation in his urinary system on Apr 17. He appeared to have no strength to move, with a cannula in his hand and the surgery wound yet to heal.

His parents were in a state of indecision – whether to stay for the authorities to take steps or take the child to another facility. They were also worried if moving the child with an unhealed surgery wound already caused any harm.

Nazmul, a parent who gave a single name, said he had to take his child down with a saline IV bag and catheter still on.

Sabina Yasmin said her 7-month-old baby was suffering from pneumonia and the heat and smoke increased his suffering manifold.

No patient was harmed by the fire because all of them were safely evacuated to other hospitals, State Minister for Health Rokeya Sultana said.

Mohammad Fakhruddin, senior officer at Mohammadpur Fire Station, said they initially suspect the fire originated from an air-conditioner at an Intensive Care Unit.

Rokeya said all seven patients of that cardiac ICU were transferred to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. “They are all doing well,” she said.

She said many equipment were burnt in the fire, but the authorities were yet to assess the damage and confirm the fire’s origin. A five-member committee was formed to investigate the incident.

The hospital’s director Jahangir Alam said there were 173 patients in the block and they were shifted to other facilities.

“Now we need to resume services as quickly as possible. Dhaka Power Distribution Company, Fire Service and hospital’s engineers are working now. We will reopen the wards one by one after they finish the check-up. The ward that was burnt will not be opened now.”

Jahangir also said they check all the 200 air-conditioners and fire extinguishers in the hospital when summer approaches.

“But we couldn’t reach the place to extinguish the fire because of the thick smoke.”