Fire at city hospital
THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Health has thanked staff and emergency services for their rapid reaction that limited the damage caused by a fire that broke out at Kimberley’s Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) early yesterday afternoon.
While one person did require medical treatment as a result of the incident, spokesperson for the provincial Department of Health, Lebogang Majaha, said that tragedy had been largely averted.
The blaze, which broke out in a maintenance workshop and quickly saw plumes of smoke billowing from the facility, took less than an hour to be contained and extinguished.
“There was a fire in the maintenance workshop at the back of the RMSH,” Majaha confirmed. “The fire brigade was alerted at about 1.30pm and all flames were extinguished by 2.15pm.”
Majaha added that apart from one person who was treated for smoke inhalation, no other injuries were reported and all staff members were accounted for.
“We are most grateful to the staff of the hospital for their vigilance as well as the fire brigade and the police for their swift response,” he said.
Sol Plaatje assistant chief fire officer, Riaan Janse van Vuuren, said that the exact cause of the fire was still under investigation but it didn’t appear to be the work of an arsonist.
“It is suspected that the fire spread from the outside of the building,” Van Vuuren said. “The fire department is busy with a full investigation and we will make information known, if needed, when available.”