Explainer: What we know so far about the Pims nursery fire

ISLAMABAD: Fourteen infants died after a fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Wednesday morning.

The nursery housed 15 newborns at the time, according to Pims officials, with only one infant rescued. Here is what we know so far about the incident, the response and the investigations.

How did the fire start?

The fire broke out at around 6:45am in the NICU on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward.

Rescue sources said an air-conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery. The Pims administration’s initial report, however, said a nebuliser indicating the quantity of oxygen alongside an incubator exploded. The report also said video footage showed a flame emerging from an air conditioner.

The report said oxygen subsequently caught fire, while smoke travelled through pipes and entered the infants’ breathing systems. It said the children died after the oxygen supply was cut off and from burns sustained in the fire.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry separately said the fire was caused by a short circuit and that most of the children died from asphyxiation.

What happened during the rescue?

There are conflicting accounts about the response.

The district administration said rescue teams reached the site immediately after receiving information, with six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances taking part in the operation. State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry later said the rescue team arrived within six minutes of receiving the fire alert.

A CDA Fire Brigade Department report also said its first vehicle reached Pims within six minutes. However, eyewitnesses and parents told Geo News that rescue teams arrived much later and that they had attempted to rescue patients themselves.

The fire brigade report identified inadequate fire-safety arrangements, including permanently closed emergency exits and obstacles along evacuation routes. It also said Pims security staff obstructed firefighters during their initial response.

Pims Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar said two doctors, four nurses and other staff were present in the NICU and that a doctor rescued one newborn.

What is being investigated?

The MCH ward was sealed after the fire, while CCTV footage and other evidence were secured, according to the state interior minister.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an inquiry and later suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori. He also formed a high-level committee headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan.

Impartial inquiry

Experts and political figures have called for an independent inquiry into the fire, with former caretaker health minister Dr Nadeem Jan saying the probe should be headed by a judge and include independent technical experts.

Former Islamabad advocate general Jahangir Jadoon also called for a judicial commission headed by an independent Supreme Court judge, saying people linked to those involved in the incident should not be part of the investigation.