ISLAMABAD: The full report of the inquiry committee formed by the Prime Minister to investigate the August 26 PIMS nursery fire incident has been released.
The report, issued on the orders of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, states that 14 out of 15 newborns died in the fire at PIMS’s MCH nursery while one survived
The inquiry committee examined not only the causes of the fire but also its serious consequences and the factors that led to its catastrophic outcome. The committee also reviewed the emergency response, arrangements for the evacuation of children, determination of individual and institutional responsibility and necessary reforms. The recommendations and findings of the inquiry committee are based on a 52-point systematic investigation.
The investigation also reviewed forensic evidence, CCTV, call records and engineering and maintenance documents. The committee also consulted medical and accident records, duty and attendance records, witness statements, regulatory records and previous investigations. In addition, CCTV records confirmed the extraordinary speed with which the emergency situation at PIMS Nursery developed.
According to the investigation report, at around 6:38:15, the fire had clearly broken out, where frontline staff took possible action. Charge Nurse Nasreen Akhtar, Security Guard Maria Saleem and Staff Nurse Razia Noreen took action to save the children within a few moments. Nurse Razia Noreen rescued one newborn and tried to re-enter the nursery.
According to the report, Dr. Muhammad Abdul Rehman was also present at the scene when the fire broke out. By around 6:39:15, thick smoke had completely obscured the CCTV camera footage. The evidence refutes the common allegation that the frontline staff abandoned the newborns. Several personnel took possible action quickly and bravely in dire circumstances.
The inquiry report stated that according to the strongest technical evidence from the National Forensic Agency, the most likely point of origin of the fire was the electrical cable of AC Unit No. 2 located near AC Unit No. 1. Possibly caused by abnormal local electrical heating, overcurrent, high resistance connection or a local electrical fault, the cable insulation was affected and the nearby combustible materials caught fire.