A nurse at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad rescued a single newborn from a nursery fire on Aug. 26, becoming widely celebrated as a national hero for her actions during the crisis. Security camera footage captured the eight-second rescue, showing nurse Razia Noreen entering the nursery, retrieving the infant, and emerging to hand the child to a doctor in an adjacent room. The dramatic sequence occurred as conditions in the nursery deteriorated rapidly, with thick smoke quickly filling the space and making further rescue attempts impossible.
Fifteen newborns were in the hospital nursery at the time of the fire. Noreen and her colleagues had been working in an adjacent room preparing injections when she noticed flames. After handing off the rescued newborn, she attempted to return to save the other infants but was forced back by the advancing fire and smoke. Within minutes, she learned that the other 14 newborns had perished in the blaze. She collapsed in shock upon learning the extent of the tragedy.
A government inquiry into the incident identified serious deficiencies in fire safety and emergency response protocols at the major government hospital. Hospital and district officials initially attributed the fire to an exploding air-conditioning unit, later stating that a nebulizer malfunction sparked the blaze. Eight officials have been suspended, with disciplinary proceedings initiated against them.
Noreen’s actions have been celebrated across Pakistan by citizens of all religious backgrounds. The government announced she will receive the Sitara-i-Khidmat, or Star of Service, one of the nation’s most prestigious civil awards, along with a financial reward. Noreen, a member of Pakistan’s Christian religious minority, described her actions not as heroism but as the instinctive duty of a nurse and mother.
However, Noreen has expressed that she remains deeply traumatized by the deaths of the children she could not rescue. She told the Associated Press in her first interview with international media that she has barely slept since the fire and experiences overwhelming emotional distress when approaching the nursery area. She conveyed a message of apology to the mothers whose babies died in the incident.
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