Another fire erupts at Tembisa Hospital, raising concerns over safety
The Accident and Emergency Unit at the Tembisa Tertiary Hospital remains closed while the department has identified a suitable space to be used as an alternative following the fires that broke out.
Image: Supplied
Another fire has broken out at the Tembisa hospital in Ekurhuleni in the early hours of Wednesday morning with Emergency Services personnel having already attended to the blaze.
It is unclear what caused the fire which comes days after the first fire which gutted the hospital's Accident and Emergency unit on Saturday afternoon.
This second fire comes just days after the first fire erupted on Saturday afternoon with reports indicating that firefighters braved chilly conditions to respond to the incident, which was reported around 5am.
It is reported that emergency services from the City of Ekurhuleni mobilised resources to contain the fire that struck the hospital’s main Outpatient Department (OPD).
According to the department, the OPD is situated close to the Accident and Emergency Unit that was severely damaged by fire just days earlier.
This has subsequently added to the urgent concerns regarding the hospital's operational integrity.
The Gauteng Department of Health confirmed the incident via spokesperson Motaletale Modiba, who remarked, “The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) can confirm that firefighters from the City of Ekurhuleni’s Fire Department are currently on site attending to what looks like another fire incident at the Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital’s main Outpatient Department.”
Modiba's statement further emphasised the precarious situation, stating that authorities have cordoned off a section of the hospital to facilitate an ongoing investigation into the cause of the latest fire. With two significant incidents occurring in a span of just a few days, it remains unclear what exactly has led to these devastating blazes.
Modiba indicated that Emergency crews from the City of Ekurhuleni's Fire Department who were on-site attending to the blaze at the hospital’s main outpatient department were able to contain the blaze.
“This area is adjacent to the Accident and Emergency Unit, which burned on Saturday night, April 19,” he said in a statement. Modiba said more details would be shared later as the matter was being investigated," said Modiba.
As a result, authorities have cordoned off another section of Tembisa Hospital as investigators search for clues around the cause of another fire – this time in one of its key units.
The latest blaze comes just days after flames ripped through the hospital’s emergency unit at the weekend, forcing the evacuation of over 80 patients and disrupting services.
Reports suggest that firefighters, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, braved icy conditions to extinguish the flames that broke out around 5am.
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