Firefighters battled a blaze on the third floor of Islamabad’s PIMS hospital after an air-conditioner compressor reportedly exploded inside the nursery. An investigation is expected to examine possible safety lapses.
BY PC Bureau
August 26, 2026: At least 15 newborns died after a fire broke out in the nursery of a state-run hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday morning, in a devastating incident that has raised questions about safety arrangements at the facility.
The fire erupted inside the nursery of the gynaecology ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) after an air-conditioner compressor reportedly exploded. Sixteen infants were in the unit when the blaze broke out, leaving medical staff and emergency responders scrambling to evacuate the babies.
Pakistan’s Geo News, citing rescue officials, reported that only one newborn was rescued alive from the nursery. The identities and conditions of the affected infants were not immediately available.
The fire reportedly spread through the nursery, filling the unit with smoke and making it difficult for rescuers to reach the babies. Firefighters were called to the hospital and began efforts to contain the blaze and evacuate the affected area.
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At least 14 children burnt to death in a fire at the Islamabad’s largest PIMS hospital.
The fire broke out on the third floor of the children ward. Fourteen children were completely burned.
A heartbreaking tragedy inside a major public hospital in Pakistan’s capital, raising… pic.twitter.com/8KnFyhfK16
— Sajjad Tarakzai (@SajjadTarakzai) August 26, 2026
Videos circulating on social media showed firefighters reaching the third-floor nursery by breaking through a window as smoke poured from the building. Emergency personnel worked to gain access to the unit while hospital authorities moved to secure other parts of the ward.
Officials later said the fire had been brought under control, with firefighting teams conducting cooling operations to prevent the blaze from reigniting. Authorities were also assessing the extent of damage to the nursery and surrounding sections of the hospital.
The incident is expected to trigger questions about the condition and maintenance of electrical and air-conditioning equipment in the hospital, as well as emergency evacuation procedures for critically vulnerable newborns. A detailed investigation is likely to establish what caused the compressor to explode and whether any safety lapses contributed to the deaths.
PIMS is one of Pakistan’s major government-run hospitals and serves patients from Islamabad as well as surrounding areas. The loss of so many newborn lives in a single hospital fire is likely to prompt renewed scrutiny of fire-safety standards and emergency preparedness in public healthcare facilities across the country.
