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All patients in the affected unit were safely relocated to other parts of Tembisa Hospital.
Picture: iStock
A fire broke out at Tembisa Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit on Saturday evening, prompting local firefighters and medical personnel to respond.
According to the Department of Health’s Head of Communication, Motalatale Modiba, the incident occurred just before 6pm on Saturday.
Modiba confirmed the fire in a voice note shared with the media shortly after the blaze began.
“We can confirm that a fire has broken out at Tembisa Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit,” he said.
“Currently, firefighters and our Ekurhuleni Emergency Medical Services are on site attending to the situation.”
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Patients evacuated during Tembisa Hospital fire
All patients in the affected unit were safely relocated to other parts of the hospital, Modiba confirmed.
“The reports that we have now are that all patients who were at the Accident and Emergency Unit have been safely evacuated into a safer area within the hospital.”
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No injuries or fatalities had been reported at the time of publication. Emergency services remained on the scene to contain the fire and assess any further risk to the facility.
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Investigation underway
While the cause of the fire is not yet known, hospital management and the GDoH are expected to conduct a full investigation into the incident.
Modiba assured the public that updates would be provided as more information becomes available.
“This is just to confirm the incident and the fact that patients have safely been moved to another area,” he said.
The Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital is currently not receiving patients and will remain on divert until further notice.
The Citizen will provide updates as soon as further details are released.
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