‘I could not save the rest’: Hero nurse remembers Pakistan’s nursery fire

Islamabad, Pakistan – Staff nurse Razia Noreen was at a medicine cupboard on the nursery ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad’s largest public-sector hospital. She was two doors from the babies in her care, preparing the morning’s injections.As she shut the cupboard door, she saw through the nursery’s glass panel a light too sharp and too red to be anything ordinary. She did not wait to understand what it was.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Locked inside: Grief and anger as Pakistan hospital fire kills 14 newbornslist 2 of 3At least 14 babies killed in Pakistan hospital nursery firelist 3 of 3Pakistan suspends eight officials over hospital fire that killed 14 babiesend of listIt was 6:38am on Wednesday, August 26. Elsewhere in the ward, her colleague, Sister Nasreen, was already running out, shouting for help.At 56 seconds past 6:38am, according to security camera timestamps later logged by a government inquiry committee, Noreen rushed into the nursery.Eight seconds later, she emerged carrying a baby. She tried to go back in. She could not. By 6:40am, the room was gone, swallowed by smoke so thick that the security cameras could no long...