Chhindwara, August 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Three newborns suffered severe burn injuries after a radiant warmer caught fire inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Chhindwara District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh in the early hours of Saturday. The infants were later shifted to Jabalpur for specialised treatment.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. when the three babies, who had been placed in the warmer to maintain their body temperature and receive intensive care, were engulfed by flames after a filament in the heating unit reportedly sparked.
Paediatrician Dr Anshul Lamba confirmed that the fire originated from the warmer’s heating filament.
“Newborns are kept in warmers after birth to keep their body temperature stable. At night, the filament sparked suddenly and the fire broke out. All three babies suffered severe burns,” he said.
Doctors and hospital staff immediately rescued the infants from the burning warmer, used fire extinguishers to put out the flames and began providing first aid.
The condition of all three newborns remained critical because of the severity of their injuries. As the Chhindwara hospital did not have a paediatric surgeon, the infants were referred to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College in Jabalpur for advanced treatment.
The babies were transported under the supervision of two doctors. One of them was reported to be in particularly critical condition and may require surgical intervention.
Hospital authorities have ordered an internal inquiry into the incident. Preliminary findings suggest that a technical fault or short circuit in the warmer may have triggered the fire.
Officials are examining the equipment and safety arrangements in the NICU as part of the investigation. The incident has also raised concerns over the maintenance of critical medical equipment and safety protocols for newborns in intensive care units.
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