A fire that broke out in the medicine department building of Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) has been brought under control within an hour.
The fire broke out in the warehouse of the building, located on the ground floor of the hospital, on Sunday morning.
Witnesses said smoke billowing from the building engulfed the hospital building.
Panic gripped the patients and their relatives, forcing them to flee the building immediately.
The fire was first reported after a resident noticed smoke coming from the hospital's medicine building and immediately alerted the fire service, said Assistant Director Dr Moniruzzaman Shahin of SBMCH.
Upon receiving the information, seven firefighting units rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control with the help of local volunteers after an hour.
It is initially suspected that the fire originated from an electrical short circuit, said Deputy Assistant Director of Barishal Fire Service and Civil Defense Belal Uddin.
The fire spread rapidly due to the presence of explosive materials inside the warehouse, he said.
However, the firefighters are still working to control the smoke as of the filing of this report at 4 pm.
No casualties have been reported immediately, and there are no details about the extent of the damages.
The hospital authorities managed to evacuate the patients.
