Amravati NICU fire: New father’s joy turns into heartbreak as day-old son killed

Amravati, Aug 24 (PTI) Hours after phoning his family to share the joy of becoming a father, Swapnil Barge was frantically searching the corridors of a government hospital in Maharashtra's Amravati for his wife and day-old son — only to learn later that his newborn was among three infants killed when a fire swept through the NICU.

The new father's agonising search ended on Monday morning when he got the crushing news that his son, born premature, had perished in the blaze.

Three newborns lost their lives after a ventilator caught fire in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the District Women's Hospital, in the early hours of the day.

By 3.30 am, smoke and panic had engulfed the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Government Women's Hospital, turning a night of joy and excitement into a nightmare, said Bagre, a resident of Pulgaon village.

"I kept looking for my baby and my wife. I searched a lot but couldn't find my son after the fire and came to know in the morning that he had died," he said inconsolably.

Bagre said his wife had delivered the premature, underweight infant in a different hospital on Sunday and both were referred to the District Women's Hospital as the child had to be admitted to the NICU.

"I was very happy because I had a son. I had telephoned my family and conveyed the good news. I couldn't sleep, and I was awake till 3 am," he said.

His excitement turned into crushing sorrow within minutes.

"Around 3.30 am, I was standing at the hospital gate with a friend when I heard a woman shouting, but we were not told anything. Then there was an uproar, and the fire brigade came. I kept looking for my baby and wife, searched a lot but couldn't find him," he said.

At 7.30 am, Barge found out about the death of his newborn son, whom he will never get to hold, play with or watch grow up. PTI