'I acted as a mother’: Nurse recounts rescue of baby from PIMS fire in Washington Post interview

Nurse Razia Noreen has received widespread recognition for her extraordinary courage during a recent fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), after she risked her own life to rescue a newborn from a burning room.

In an interview published with The Washington Post, Razia Noreen said she entered the fire-hit room with the sole objective of saving the babies and managed to bring a newborn to safety in just eight seconds.

Noreen emerged from the nursery just eight seconds later and handed the infant to a doctor waiting nearby. She then attempted to return for the other babies, but the rapidly spreading flames and thick smoke made it impossible

The Aug. 26 fire killed 14 newborns, leaving the baby rescued by Noreen as the sole survivor of the nursery tragedy August 26, a devastating fire broke out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences nursery in Islamabad, claiming the lives of 14 newborns. Nurse Razia Noreen, who was preparing injections nearby, noticed the flames and instinctively ran into the smoke-filled nursery.

Amid thick smoke and growing flames, she managed to rescue one baby, the sole survivor of the tragedy, before being forced back by the fire. Her courageous act, captured in a 51-second security camera clip, lasted just eight seconds but has earned her national hero status in Pakistan. 

Speaking about the incident, Noreen said her immediate goal had been to save every child in the nursery. She described the rescue as part of her responsibility to the mothers who had entrusted their newborns to the hospital staff.

She said the smoke quickly became so dense that she could barely see or breathe. Despite the danger, she and another nurse tried to move toward the nursery, even crawling close to the floor where the air was clearer.

The nurse said she has had difficulty sleeping since the fire and remains deeply affected whenever she approaches the nursery. She also said she continues to experience physical and emotional effects from the ordeal.

Despite being praised across Pakistan for her bravery, Noreen said she did not enter the burning nursery for recognition or a reward.

She explained that nurses often become like mothers to newborns in their care, feeding them, administering medication and watching over them when they are separated from their own families.

“I acted as a mother,” Noreen said, emphasizing that she did not think about her own safety when she entered the burning nursery.

She said her only intention that morning was to save lives and that she wishes she had been able to rescue all of the babies.