By Urdu Report Editorial Team
A fire incident report by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has raised serious concerns about emergency safety arrangements at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.
The report says emergency exit routes were found permanently blocked or obstructed from the outside. It also states that hospital security staff obstructed the fire brigade’s initial response.
The report follows a fire at a nursery on the third floor of PIMS’ Mother and Child Hospital, in which 14 newborn babies died.
Fire and emergency response timeline
According to the hospital’s report, the fire started at around 6:38am on Wednesday.
The CDA report records the first emergency call at 6:54am. The fire brigade was dispatched at 6:55am, while the first response team reached PIMS at 7:01am.
The report does not explain why the first emergency call was recorded around 16 minutes after the fire reportedly started.
Authorities are investigating several aspects of the incident, including the possible cause of the fire, fire safety arrangements, staffing and emergency response procedures.
CDA report questions safety arrangements
The CDA’s Directorate of Emergency and Disaster Management said the arrangements for fire protection and the safety of human lives were inadequate, ineffective and not in line with prescribed standards.
The report says emergency exits were permanently blocked or obstructed from outside. It also mentions alleged obstruction by hospital security personnel during the fire brigade’s initial response.
The CDA’s findings differ from PIMS’ earlier position. The hospital had said that all emergency exits were open and usable.
According to PIMS, two doctors and two nurses in the nursery responded immediately, alerted security personnel and made two attempts to reach the babies. However, a loud explosion occurred at around 6:39am.
14 newborn babies died
PIMS said one baby was rescued from the nursery and four others were safely removed from an adjoining room. However, 14 babies died.
The hospital said staff also safely evacuated three mothers and 73 patients from the adjoining gynaecology ward.
The CDA report, meanwhile, records seven infant deaths and seven babies rescued alive. It also states that 10 women and two men were rescued.
The report does not explain the difference between the seven deaths recorded by the CDA and the 14 newborn deaths confirmed by PIMS and the government.
It is also unclear whether the CDA figures covered only casualties directly handled by fire brigade personnel.
Possible cause of the fire
The CDA report identifies an electrical short circuit or an overloaded plug as possible causes of the fire.
However, the final cause remains under investigation.
According to PIMS‘ initial account, a spark was followed by a major fire within seconds because oxygen points were installed alongside each incubator.
The hospital said two doctors and two nurses were present in the nursery when the fire broke out. Staff used 35 fire extinguishers while attempting to control the blaze.
Fire brigade response
According to the CDA report, the first fire brigade team to reach the scene encountered heavy smoke.
Additional response teams were dispatched from different fire stations between 7:06am and 7:25am. Six fire tenders, six ambulances, one rescue van and one water bowser eventually reached the site.
The report puts the official fire brigade response time at six minutes. This refers to the period between the team’s departure at 6:55am and its arrival at PIMS at 7:01am.
Officials said firefighters entered the building through the rear gallery using stairs and carried out rescue operations.
The CDA report also noted that the crowd at the scene was not properly managed.
Fire safety expert highlights emergency measures
Fire safety expert Muhammad Amir Chohan visited PIMS following the incident.
He said highly sensitive areas such as newborn wards should have automatic fire suppression systems and trained personnel.
He also said such wards need the ability to immediately shut off oxygen and other gas supplies during an emergency.
According to Chohan, a minor fire can develop into a major blaze within three minutes.
However, Arab News could not independently confirm whether the specific fire suppression systems he mentioned are mandatory under regulations applicable to the PIMS nursery.
Families seek answers
Families who lost newborn babies in the fire have accused the hospital administration of failing to take adequate measures.
Mudassar Zehrab, who lost his newborn daughter, said he spent around 90 minutes searching for her before finding her in the mortuary.
According to Arab News, parents and a hospital employee provided photographs of five babies who died in the fire.
The photographs were reviewed by Dr Samia Syed Tariq, Karachi’s chief police surgeon and a forensic medicine specialist. She identified burns ranging from superficial to deeper injuries on the children’s bodies.
PIMS said the newborns died from suffocation. However, Arab News could not independently verify the medical causes of death, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Wider fire safety concerns in Islamabad
The incident comes several months after Islamabad authorities identified widespread shortcomings in compliance with fire safety regulations across the capital.
According to the CDA, a 2026 survey examined 6,500 public and private buildings, including 300 government buildings.
The survey found that most buildings had not obtained approval for fire safety plans and had not been issued completion or fire safety certificates.
Following the PIMS incident, scrutiny of safety standards and regulations in the health sector has increased in the federal capital.
Parliamentary bodies, including the Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals and the Caucus on Child Rights, have called for independent investigations into safety protocols, newborn care standards and evacuation procedures.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has established a high-level investigation committee headed by former federal secretary Shahid Khan to investigate the incident.
The committee visited PIMS on Thursday. It has been directed to submit preliminary recommendations within 48 hours and a complete report within five days.
