Another fire has broken out at Tembisa Hospital, raising alarm just days after the facility’s accident and emergency unit was damaged in a similar incident.
What caused Tembisa Hospital fire?
On Wednesday morning, the Gauteng Department of Health confirmed that emergency teams from the City of Ekurhuleni were attending to a new fire at the hospital.
According to Motaletale Modiba, spokesperson for the department, the latest blaze occurred in an area located next to the emergency unit that caught fire on Saturday night. The cause of the new fire has not yet been confirmed. Authorities are still investigating both incidents.
The latest fire has added to growing fears about the safety of the hospital’s infrastructure. On Tuesday, the Public Servants Association (PSA), a union representing government employees, said it had repeatedly warned about unsafe working conditions and failing infrastructure at Tembisa Hospital.
In a public statement, the PSA described the hospital as being “on the brink of collapse.”
The union said the weekend fire, which led to the evacuation of 80 patients, was a direct result of years of neglected maintenance and poor response to infrastructure concerns. Fortunately, no injuries or deaths were reported in that incident.
While the fire on Wednesday appears to have been contained quickly, the PSA is urging urgent government intervention to address what it calls a ticking time bomb. The union emphasised that the lives of both patients and medical staff are at risk if serious action is not taken.
The Gauteng Department of Health has said that full details of Wednesday’s fire will be released once investigations are complete.
For now, it remains unclear whether there is a link between the two recent fires or if this was another isolated incident.
Investigators are expected to examine the hospital’s electrical systems, building materials, and maintenance records as part of their ongoing probe.
No evacuations or injuries were reported from the second fire, and normal services at other parts of the hospital reportedly continued without disruption.