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Johannesburg: More than 16 hours after a major fire broke out at a hospital in Johannesburg, firefighters were struggling to bring the flames under control due to a water shortage, a spokersperson said on Saturday.
“The initial challenge, it was water supply ... there was not enough water ... but now we have managed to secure enough water supply,” the spokesperson said, adding that about 80 per cent of the blaze was now under control. Almost all patients of the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital were evacuated and sent to other hospitals in the region, the regional health ministry said, adding there were no fatalities so far. The hospital, which was treating several Covid-19 patients, has to remain shut for at least seven days, according to David Makhura, leader of Gauteng province. The fire broke out in the morning in a storage room and was thought to be extinguished several hours later. But the blaze later restarted, and a large number of firefighters were battling the flames through the evening. (dpa)
“The initial challenge, it was water supply ... there was not enough water ... but now we have managed to secure enough water supply,” the spokesperson said, adding that about 80 per cent of the blaze was now under control. Almost all patients of the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital were evacuated and sent to other hospitals in the region, the regional health ministry said, adding there were no fatalities so far. The hospital, which was treating several Covid-19 patients, has to remain shut for at least seven days, according to David Makhura, leader of Gauteng province. The fire broke out in the morning in a storage room and was thought to be extinguished several hours later. But the blaze later restarted, and a large number of firefighters were battling the flames through the evening. (dpa)
