Surat: A fire in the top-floor apartment of a six-storey building that also houses A to Z Hospital in Sachin on Saturday led to the evacuation of patients and residents, with firefighters taking about three hours to bring the blaze under control. No casualties were reported.Surat Fire and Emergency Services (SFES) received an emergency call at around 4.05pm about the fire at the premises on Sachin Railway Station Road.Firefighting teams from Bhestan fire station, the Sachin notified area and Hojiwala industrial estate rushed to the site and launched operations.According to preliminary inquiries, a short circuit in an air conditioner triggered the fire in a bedroom of the apartment. Officials said the flames spread rapidly and engulfed furniture in the room.A woman and her child, who were inside the apartment when the fire broke out, escaped before the flames intensified.Hospital staff evacuated three admitted patients as a precaution. Officials said the building houses a 100-bed hospital equipped with an ICU facility. SFES personnel continued cooling operations and inspected the premises to prevent any flare-up while verifying the cause of the fire.
