A fire that led to the immediate evacuation of about 30 patients at Sebokeng Hospital last Thursday was started in a psychiatry holding room when a patient set fire to his blanket, reports TimesLIVE.
The room – within the casualty unit of the large 800-bed hospital – was where mental healthcare patients are usually temporarily accommodated while awaiting admission to psychiatric wards when they are full.
The Gauteng Department of Health said that no one was injured, but because of the smoke, “as a precautionary measure, more than 30 patients were safely evacuated from the area, including emergency, mental healthcare and obstetric patients”.
The department said security personnel and staff had acted swiftly to contain the situation at the hospital, which is just outside Vereeniging.
TimesLIVE article – Patient sets blanket on fire at Sebokeng hospital (Restricted access)
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