Alappuzha: A car allegedly blocked the path of a fire and rescue vehicle rushing to douse a blaze at a hospital in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, with visuals of the incident now surfacing online.

The incident happened when a fire engine from the Alappuzha unit of the Fire and Rescue Services was heading to the Thuravoor Taluk Hospital, where a fire had broken out in a building used for storing medicines around 10 am on Tuesday.

According to reports, a car bearing registration number KL-32 V 7934 obstructed the fire engine for a considerable distance during the emergency response. Despite the fire vehicle blaring its siren and repeatedly honking, the car did not give way.

The fire personnel were eventually able to overtake the vehicle and proceed to the hospital to carry out firefighting operations.

A major fire broke out at the Thuravoor Taluk Government Hospital in Alappuzha on Monday, with initial estimates indicating that medicines worth nearly ₹1 crore were destroyed.

Preliminary findings suggest the blaze may have been triggered by a short circuit in the air-conditioning system. Officials said a detailed investigation will be carried out to determine the exact cause.

The fire was reported around 10.30 am in a storage facility on the third floor of the hospital’s old building, situated near Thuravoor Junction along the national highway. A pharmacist first spotted the flames and raised an alert, prompting hospital staff to rush to the scene and respond.