Hero doctor & 3 patients killed in Covid hospital fire when oxygen tanks exploded as she made desperate bid to save them
A YOUNG doctor and her three Covid-19 patients have died in a hospital fire triggered by an oxygen explosion.
Intensive care unit doctor Olha Hliva, 26, was determined to save her patients aged from 69 to 90 when the blast occurred and set the ward alight.
She did not leave the helpless pensioners, attached to ventilators, and tried to evacuate them from the burning room.
But the fire quickly engulfed the place and all of them perished.
“The ward burned down”, a firefighter working at the scene confirmed.
The tragedy occurred at the infectious diseases hospital in the city of Zaporizhia, south-eastern Ukraine yesterday.
Investigators say an oxygen leak in one of the ventilators provoked the explosion that caused the fire.
Forensic examinations showed all victims died from thermal burns after being trapped in the burning ward.
Ukrainian Minister of Health Maksim Stepanov commented: “The fire quickly spread across the ward and there was no chance to save the victims.”
Police have arrested the person responsible for medical equipment and fire safety at the hospital. The name of the suspect has not been disclosed yet.
Oleksiy, whose father-in-law perished in the fire, said to local media: “The hospital is in the centre of the city. Best specialists work there.
“It was supposed to be a safe place for patients. I just don’t understand how it could happen.”
Olha Hliva’s numerous friends and colleagues express their grief on her Facebook saying ‘she had a vocation for medicine and stayed true to herself until the end’.
She was one of the most talented young specialists in the country and never complained about tough working conditions in the hospital, according to her colleagues.
Yuriy Ryabokon, the head of postgraduate education faculty of the Zaporizhia State Medical University told: “It’s an awful tragedy for us. We are deeply shocked.”
Olha loved photography and poetry. In her online messages, she often said that every minute of life should be appreciated.
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