Three newborns suffered burn injuries after a warmer caught fire inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Chhindwara District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh in the early hours of Saturday, prompting the hospital authorities to shift all three infants to Jabalpur Medical College for specialised treatment.

The incident occurred around 1.50 am when a spark in the filament of a warmer’s heating unit triggered a fire while three newborns were inside the equipment. Hospital staff immediately removed the infants from the warmer and extinguished the fire. The three injured babies were subsequently examined by specialists, including the Dean and Medical Superintendent of Chhindwara District Medical College, before being referred to Jabalpur for further treatment. According to the hospital administration, there were 33 newborns in the unit when the incident occurred. While three infants were inside the warmer and sustained injuries, the remaining 30 were safely evacuated from the unit.

Civil Surgeon Kanchan Dubey said the hospital staff acted swiftly after noticing the flames.

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The injured babies were transported by ambulance under medical supervision, with doctors accompanying them during the journey.

The incident also raised concerns over the availability of specialised paediatric care in Chhindwara, with the injured newborns being shifted to Jabalpur as a paediatric surgeon was not available at the Chhindwara facility.

Hospital staff later inspected the equipment and technicians were called to examine the warmer and other machines in the unit. The incident also triggered concern among the families of newborns admitted to the unit, with visuals from the hospital showing staff rushing to evacuate infants following the fire.

Dubey, however, ruled out negligence at this stage and said the incident appeared to have been an accident. “Administrative officials will come and conduct their own investigation; I do not see any negligence here. It appears to be an accident,” she said.

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The hospital administration is expected to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident, including an examination of the warmer and other electrical equipment installed in the neonatal unit.