ISLAMABAD: The most likely cause of the fire that broke out at the PIMS Early Childhood Care (ECH) Nursery in Islamabad on August 26 was an electrical fault, according to a detailed inquiry report released by a committee constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The report said there was no evidence to support allegations that frontline staff abandoned the newborns during the emergency. Instead, evidence showed that several staff members took immediate and courageous action under extremely difficult circumstances.
The fire claimed the lives of 14 newborn babies, while one infant survived.
The inquiry committee conducted a 52-point investigation, examining forensic evidence, CCTV footage, call records, engineering and maintenance documents, medical and incident records, duty rosters, witness statements and findings from previous inquiries.
According to the report, CCTV footage confirmed that an extraordinary emergency developed inside the nursery. The fire was clearly seen to have intensified by approximately 6:38:15 p.m.
The committee identified the area near AC Unit No. 2, close to the electrical cable supplying AC Unit No. 1, as the most likely point of origin. It said the strongest technical evidence from the National Forensic Agency supported the conclusion that a local electrical fault was the most probable cause of the fire.
The report also identified several factors that contributed to the severity of the tragedy. These included the presence of flammable material and oxygen, overcrowding in the nursery, limited evacuation capacity and the absence of a dedicated emergency response system for newborns.
The committee further noted that delays at the institutional level weakened the emergency response and made rescue efforts more difficult.
The report stressed that merely approving or initiating a safety measure does not constitute its implementation. A safety measure can only be considered implemented when the risk has actually been eliminated and the measure has been independently verified.
The inquiry found that Charge Nurse Nasreen Akhtar and Staff Nurse Raziya Noreen immediately took action to rescue the babies. Security guard Maria Saleem also joined their efforts.
Nurse Raziya managed to rescue one newborn and attempted to re-enter the nursery to save more children. Dr. Muhammad Abdul Rehman was also present at the scene when the fire broke out.
The committee concluded that the highly sensitive circumstances inside the nursery significantly amplified the devastating impact of the fire. The 10-bed unit was accommodating 15 critically ill newborns at the time of the incident.
