A massive fire broke out at Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Wednesday morning. The fire is said to have started in the Department Of Pharmacy on the ground floor at around 8:00am. Ten fire engines and a team of Kolkata police officers have rushed to the spot and over 250 patients have been evacuated.

According to eyewitnesses, many patients tried to jump out of the hospital windows to save themselves.

Several patients with asthma and lung illnesses were rushed to other wards due to smoke, the Kolkata Police said, reports news18.com.

At present, the oxygen cylinders kept in the store room of the hospital are a matter of concern as the room is close to the epicentre of the fire, the fire department officials said. The firefighters and hospital staff are making efforts to remove the oxygen cylinders from the building.

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While all patients are said to be safe and no casualties have been reported so far, the situation has led to panic in the area.

Fire department officers suspect that a short circuit led to the incident and are trying to ascertain if the hospital had adopted adequate fire safety measures.

This is the second such incident in Kolkata in the last one month. On September 16, the city’s multi-storey Bagri Market had witnessed a fire, which gutted nearly 1,000 shops and business establishments — mainly cosmetics, toy and cloth shops. Thirty fire tenders were pressed into service to contain the blaze which kept raging for over 12 hours.