108 ambulance goes ablaze minutes after COVID patient, 2 others alight

The incident happened around 9.30 am when the ambulance picked up the senior citizen from the COVID ward within the campus to take her to the x-ray room in another building. Minutes after the paramedical staff Ambika and driver Selvakumar led the COVID patient to inside the building, the ambulance went up in flames following a blast inside the vehicle. The fire soon spread to the entire vehicle to the shock of other visitors and medical staff in the vicinity.

While their attempt to control the fire with extinguishers failed, Fire and Rescue Service personnel from Chengalpattu fire station reached the spot and put off the fire. However, the entire vehicle was burnt along with all the equipment.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that the burst of oxygen cylinder might have caused the fire. A case has been registered by Chengalpattu police and further investigation is on.

Police said there are more than 30 ambulances in Chengalpattu government hospital and people present at the hospital said that if the cylinder blast had happened minutes before or after, three lives would have been lost.

A video of the medical staff trying to save medical records from the burnt vehicle was also doing the rounds on social media.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan told mediapersons that he has ordered that all 1,300 108 ambulances be immediately checked on safety aspects.