At least 14 newborn babies have died after a fire tore through a nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), one of the largest government hospitals in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital.
The tragedy occurred early Wednesday, August 26, 2026, when a blaze broke out on the third floor of the hospital’s Maternal and Child Health ward. Hospital officials said 15 newborn babies were inside the ward when the fire started, with only one infant rescued alive.
According to Pakistan’s emergency authorities, the first call about the fire was received at approximately 6:54 a.m. local time. Firefighters and rescue personnel reportedly arrived within minutes, with six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances deployed to the hospital.
The fire was eventually brought under control, but the intensity of the blaze left the newborns trapped inside the nursery with little chance of survival.
Initial reports indicate that the fire may have started after a malfunction involving an air-conditioning system in the ward. Pakistan’s Health Minister, Mustafa Kamal, told local media that the babies were either being kept in incubators or receiving oxygen treatment when the incident happened.
Local reports have variously described the cause as an air-conditioner compressor explosion, a short circuit or another electrical fault. Authorities have not yet completed their investigation, meaning the precise cause of the fire remains subject to official findings.
The presence of oxygen equipment in the nursery also raised concerns about how quickly the flames spread. Oxygen itself is not flammable, but it can intensify combustion, causing materials that are already burning to burn more rapidly and at higher temperatures.
The babies were among the most vulnerable patients in the hospital, many of them requiring constant medical support. Their deaths have therefore triggered widespread grief among families and renewed questions about fire safety standards in Pakistan’s healthcare facilities.
Families Gather At Hospital
The scene outside PIMS was described as one of shock and anguish as relatives gathered at the hospital seeking information about their children.
Family members were seen crying outside the facility, while police officers and emergency personnel maintained security around the affected area. Broken glass from windows was reportedly scattered around parts of the hospital grounds alongside discarded medical masks and other debris from the emergency response.
One grieving father told reporters that his three-day-old baby was among those who died in the fire.
Another woman, Hivsa Walid, said she was inside the hospital when the blaze erupted while accompanying her sister-in-law, who had recently given birth.
According to her account, they were in a nursery located opposite the room where the fire began when they suddenly heard a shout. At first, they believed someone might have died, but they soon noticed smoke and realised there was a fire.
Walid said they immediately grabbed the baby and fled the area.
The deaths have created an especially painful situation for families because several of the bodies were severely burned. Police said DNA testing would be required to establish the identities of the victims before their remains could be released to their parents.
The identification process is expected to add another layer of distress for families already waiting for confirmation of their children’s deaths.
One Baby Rescued
PIMS spokesperson, Dr. Aneeza Jalil said 15 babies had been in the ward when the fire broke out and that one baby was rescued by a doctor.
The hospital administration said the affected children were moved to an intensive care unit after the fire was brought under control. However, 14 infants ultimately died from injuries sustained during the incident.
The emergency operation also involved rescuing other people from the hospital.
According to rescue officials, at least 19 people were evacuated, including 10 women, seven children and two men.
The incident has placed renewed attention on the importance of fire prevention and emergency evacuation procedures in hospitals, particularly in wards where newborns and critically ill patients may be unable to move without assistance.
Prime Minister Orders Investigation
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and ordered an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire.
Sharif described the loss of children in such circumstances as irreparable and directed authorities to determine what caused the blaze and whether anyone was responsible.
The Islamabad administration has subsequently established a hd fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.
The committee has been given a deadline of 24 hours to submit its findings. Its mandate includes determining how the fire started, examining the hospital’s fire-safety arrangements and assessing the effectiveness of the emergency response.
The investigation is expected to examine whether adequate fire prevention systems were available in the nursery and whether the hospital’s emergency procedures were sufficient to protect highly vulnerable patients.
Questions about fire safety have become particularly significant in Pakistan, where authorities have faced criticism over enforcement of building regulations and safety requirements.
PIMS Under Scrutiny
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences is one of Islamabad’s major public healthcare institutions and serves a large number of patients from the capital and surrounding areas.
Its Maternal and Child Health facilities include specialised areas for mothers and newborns, making the fire particularly devastating because of the number of patients who depend on incubators, oxygen and other life-support equipment.
The latest tragedy has also raised questions about whether facilities housing newborns have adequate fire detection, suppression and evacuation systems.
Reports said repair and construction work was ongoing in parts of the hospital, another issue investigators may examine as they determine the circumstances surrounding the fire.
The incident is among the most serious hospital fires reported in Pakistan in recent years and comes against a wider backdrop of concerns about fire-safety enforcement.
In January 2026, a major fire at the Gul Plaza shopping centre in Karachi killed 67 people, highlighting longstanding concerns over building safety, emergency exits and enforcement of fire regulations.
For the families gathered outside PIMS on Wednesday, however, the focus remains on the newborns who never made it home.
As investigators begin examining the fire, grieving parents are waiting for the identification of the victims and the return of their children’s remains. Authorities have promised a full inquiry, while the country mourns the loss of 14 newborn lives in a tragedy that has raised serious questions about safety inside one of Pakistan’s most important public hospitals.