Johannesburg - A fire broke out at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital’s store room on Friday morning and it’s cause is still being investigated.
This fire comes two months after another a store room of Carletonville Hospital where medical equipment worth R23m went up in flames
According to the Gauteng Department of Health’s Kwara Kekana, the fire started at the Hospital’s Special Dispensary Stores around 11.30am.
No one was injured nor killed in the blaze.
“The department wishes to assure the public that the fire that broke out today at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic has been contained and no casualties have been reported. The fire broke out around 11.30am.
“Fire fighters are on site and, all staff in areas near the fire were evacuated. Hospital clinical services have not been affected. The cause of the fire is not yet known,” she said.
Kekana explained that the Special Dispensary Store was used for storing all dry surgical and medical items. These items include gloves, PPE and catheters amongst others, she said.
“The Department will share more details as they become available,.”
In February this year, a fire that broke out at the Carletonville Hospital and destroyed personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical equipment estimated to be worth over R23m stored at the facility’s storeroom.
Kekana said at the time that the the items were stored at one of the buildings at the hospital known as Old Crèche Building.
“It caught fire, resulting in the significant destruction of items inside.”
She said the equipment had been there since April 2020 and would be replenished.
“The Old Crèche building had been used as a storage facility for personal protective equipment and for health equipment that had been temporarily stored at the facility.
“There were no staff or patient casualties as a result of the fire. However, most of the items in storage were completely destroyed.”
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