Durban – Patients and staff escaped uninjured when the Life Chatsmed Gardens Hospital in Chatsworth, south of Durban, was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Sunday morning.
According to a report from Emer-G-Med spokesperson Kyle van Reenen, emergency service Netcare 911, Blue Security, eThekwini fire and rescue services, and numerous other emergency personnel responded to the scene following reports of a fire.
“Reports from the scene are that a fire broke out in one of the wards leading to an evacuation,” Van Reenen said.
Mzansi SecuriFire, who also responded to the scene, said after one of their technical team members received a call that the hospital was on fire, they mobilised to the scene and noted that the fire was large, and at the far end of the hospital.
“Our team stopped their vehicle and went on foot to the part of the hospital that was on fire. We went into the building to search, because as per the information we received, there were still patients inside the building. We found a staff member and asked her how many people were still inside.
“Our team safely removed the patients and staff members from the hospital. We then turned our attention to the fire, using the hospital’s fire hoses,” Mzansi SecuriFire said.
“Shortly afterwards, the fire department arrived and we carried on assisting them until they contained and brought the blaze under control.”
Mzansi SecuriFire services were also asked to assist with closing the Higginson Highway, as one patient needed to be airlifted to another hospital. Multiple patients were transported to various other hospitals for treatment.
The eThekwini fire department could not be reached at the time of publication.
Daily News