By: Natasha Archary
The Gauteng Department of Health has confirmed that a fire broke out at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in the early hours of Monday morning (30 May).
No casualties were reported as patients and staff were evacuated to safety.
The fire affected temporary structures at the facility, and the blaze was put out by staff who made use of fire extinguishers which were on site.
In a statement released by the department, details about how the fire broke out was shared.
“The fire broke out at around 01h20 at the Wendy house, which was used as a temporary storage area for Covid-19 medical waste and an in-transit corpse area. The fire also affected a special temporary isolation unit and a tent used for triage.”
The department further explained that 18 patients and a corpse that were in temporary structures close to where the fire broke out, were moved to other areas of the hospital for safety.
Affected structures were located outside the hospital’s casualty area.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage.
MEDIA STATEMENT:
— Official_GautengEMS (@GautengEMS) May 30, 2022
NO PATIENTS OR STAFF CASUALTIES DUE TO FIRE AT STEVE BIKO HOSPITAL pic.twitter.com/Da2lOpm9Hg
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