A major fire broke out at Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) during the early hours of Wednesday, 20 May 2026. The incident initiated a mass evacuation of critically ill patients, resulting in one casualty during the transfer process. The blaze generated dense smoke and structural damage following the explosions of multiple oxygen cylinders and redundant air conditioning units.
Operational Timeline and Fire Service Intervention
The fire originated at approximately 05:30 inside a storage facility adjacent to the redundant Intensive Care Unit (ICU), located on the third floor of the hospital’s four-storey building. According to the Assistant Director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, Sarkar Masud Ahmed, the emergency services were alerted at approximately 06:00. Three initial response units from the Boyra Fire Station arrived at the scene, with the deployment subsequently expanding to 11 units.
Firefighters encountered physical obstructions upon arrival, as numerous access gates within the medical facility were locked, requiring personnel to forcibly breach the entry points. The fire was successfully contained within 45 minutes of the operation, and entirely extinguished within 55 minutes. Preliminary technical assessments indicate that the blaze was caused by an electrical malfunction or a short circuit.
Patient Evacuation and Casualties
The rapid spread of smoke through the operating theatres and post-operative wards prompted the emergency evacuation of 15 critically ill patients from ICU Ward 1. Hospital staff and emergency responders utilised rear exit doors to transfer patients to safety.
Medical authorities confirmed two fatalities during the morning, though their circumstances differed:
Pre-incident Fatality: One patient succumbed to their existing medical condition at 05:00, prior to the outbreak of the fire.
Evacuation Fatality: A second critical patient died during the emergency relocation process from the threatened ICU ward.
The structural breakdown of injuries and deaths recorded during the incident is detailed below:
| Incident Metric | Total Count | Specific Details and Affected Personnel |
| Fatalities | 2 | One patient died pre-incident (05:00); one patient died during relocation. |
| Staff Injuries | 4 | Senior Staff Nurses (Nowrin, Dipali, Sharmin) and Hospital Staff (Saidur Rahman, aged 50). |
| First Responder Injuries | 1 | Fire Service Member (Tawhid). |
| Total Injured | 5 | Caused by smoke inhalation and falling debris during structural breaching. |
Internal Reports and Damage Assessment
Dr Dilip Kumar, the ICU In-Charge at KMCH, stated that the affected storage room contained used garments and redundant medical apparatus. The intense heat caused several stored oxygen cylinders and obsolete air conditioning units to detonate, destroying a section of an interior wall and dispersing thick smoke throughout the floor.
The security commander of the hospital’s Ansar contingent, ACP Mohammad Ariful Islam, noted that two staff nurses and a firefighter sustained injuries when a window grille collapsed during cutting operations designed to facilitate a balcony rescue. The injured nurses and the first responder were initially treated on-site before being transferred to Khulna City Medical College Hospital for specialised care.
Dr Hossain Ali, the Residential Medical Officer at Khulna Medical College Hospital, concluded that while initial indicators point towards an electrical short circuit or an air conditioning unit explosion, a formal investigation committee will be required to verify the precise definitive cause of the accident.