Since the start of the VIDCO pandemic in March 2020, there have been several hospital fires around the world, with nearly 70 deaths. Since the 2020 census, the human toll has increased further with the fire in Baghdad Hospital (Iraq) on 24 April 2021, where 82 patients died and over 110 were injured in the COVID ward.
As a reminder, on 19 December 2020, 10 patients lost their lives in a fire caused by a high-flow oxygen ventilation device in Gaziantep, Turkey.
In November 2020, 10 "Covid-19" patients died in a fire in the intensive care unit in Peatra Niamt, Romania.
The Joint Research Centre's Major Accident Hazards Bureau (JRC MAHB) within the European Commission has counted nearly 20 hospital fires involving oxygen-enriched atmospheres since spring 2020. Eight of these have resulted in multiple fatalities.
While in most cases the fires were contained, they all required the interruption of care, evacuation of staff and of very fragile patients.
The experts note the same aggravating factors: the lack of routine and control in the use of equipment and the failure of poorly trained or untrained staff to follow safety rules and regulations.
See also our article Oxygen therapy and fire risk FSA Magazine n° 21 December 2020
