The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital has been closed down for seven days following a devastating blaze at the facility.
The blaze started on Friday in a storeroom at the hospital and according to Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, who visited the hospital on Saturday, said melting plastic and medical supplies were causing the flames to re-ignite.
The floor above the room where the fire started collapsed due to the heat generated, leading to Makhura and his team taking the decision to close the hospital down.
Makhura said he had walked through the hospital and saw the smoke filtering through to the wards, even though the fire was contained to other areas.
He said they cannot afford to have Charlotte Maxeke closed for too long as it also was treating a number of Covid-19 patients, some of them in a critical condition.
“We would like the hospital to resume its operation as soon as possible,” said Makhura.
Makhura said no patients will be allowed in the facility for the period of closure.
“With immediate effect the services at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital have been suspended, no patients will be allowed into the hospital,” said Makhura.
Currently the facility has been handed over to the fire safety investigation officer for the commencement of the investigation around the cause of the fire.
