A fire that broke out at Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj has forced the suspension of all services except emergency care on Sunday and Monday, the hospital confirmed.

Medical Superintendent Dr Nirajan Subedi said the fire, which erupted on Saturday in the hospital’s medical store located in the outpatient department (OPD) building, caused extensive damage to the OPD, medical store, and pharmacy.

As a result, patient consultations and laboratory services have been temporarily halted for two days to allow for clean-up and safety measures.

Preliminary assessments suggest the blaze was triggered by an electrical short circuit in a refrigerator used to store vaccines.

Dr Subedi estimated the damage to be around Rs30 million to 40 million.

Emergency services continue to operate as usual.