The Gauteng Department of Health on Wednesday said the fire that was detected at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospitals unused P2 parking bay has been brought under control.
“Late on Tuesday night (5 July) security personnel reported that there was smoke that seemed to be coming from one of the structures,” the Gauteng Department of Health said in a statement.
“Fire Fighters for the City of Joburg immediately responded to the situation and managed to contain the fire which was confined to a small section of the level two parking.
“The Hillbrow SA Police Service also went on site after the matter was reported to them.”
The department said the level two parking is one of the areas that was affected by the April 2021 fire and was “currently underprops” and not accessible to the public or staff except for construction people.
“Upon assessment of the situation clinicians on site together with the facilitys head of disaster made a call that the situation did not warrant for patients to be evacuated as the smoke from the fire was not too thick or high risk for inhalation,” said the department.
Services at the facility continue to be rendered as normal.
The cause of the fire was being investigated.
Last year, the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital caught alight on 19 May 2021 resulting in the evacuation of 700 patients and the destruction of an estimated R40m in hospital supplies.
Repairs to damages to the hospital infrastructure were estimated at more than one billion rand.
Commenting on the latest fire, Jack Bloom, Democratic Alliance Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, said: “It is unbelievable that another fire could start at this hospital which spends R40 million a year on security”.
Bloom noted that in the last seven years, there have been nine fires in Gauteng hospitals, as well as the unexplained fire at the Gauteng Health head office, which burnt down the Bank of Lisbon building and killed three firefighters.
“This is the fourth fire at a Gauteng public hospital this year,” said Bloom.
“There was a fire at temporary structures of the Steve Biko Hospital on 30 May this year, and there was a blaze in a linen closet in a medical ward there on 12 June.
“Two weeks ago, a fire occurred at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital near the Covid-19 tents, and it spread to the laundry site before being put out.”
Bloom demanded an explanation for the fires saying: “We need answers from the Gauteng Health Department as to why there are so many fires and what is being done to prevent them.”
