Firefighters in the South African city of Johannesburg put out a blaze on Saturday that broke out at the Charlotte Maxeke hospital a day earlier, a Sputnik correspondent said
JOHANNESBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2021) Firefighters in the South African city of Johannesburg put out a blaze on Saturday that broke out at the Charlotte Maxeke hospital a day earlier, a Sputnik correspondent said.
The fire ripped through the hospital late on Friday morning and was taken under control, only to reignite in the evening. The firefighters battled the flames throughout the night.
Gauteng Province premier David Makhura said the facility would remain closed for a week while the authorities assess the damage.
"The fire has been contained but we have to unfortunately shutdown the hospital to ensure that we don't put the patients and staff at risk," he told reporters at a news briefing.
No one has been hurt in the fire, our correspondent said. The hospital stopped taking in patients at Friday noon and has since evacuated 415 people to other facilities. The provincial health authority said its priority was to move the remaining 270 patients to safety amid concern of smoke inhalation.
