CITY OF TSHWANE EMERGENCY SERVICES DEPARTMENT FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED TO A BUILDING FIRE INCIDENT AT PRETORIA EAST HOSPITAL
The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department received a call at 18:59 on 5 December 2024 regarding a fire that broke out at Pretoria East Hospital. The Emergency Communications Centre (ECC) immediately dispatched the first three nearest fire stations to the incident. The firefighting resources included two engine pumpers (fire trucks), one rapid intervention unit, a water tanker and a mobile communication unit.
On arrival, the preliminary report was given to the ECC was that the eastern hospital building was well alight and certain parts of the roof had collapsed. The roof had solar panels and certain parts were on fire. Two sectors were then established by the incident commander on scene. One sector for the fire inside the building and the other sector for the fire on the roof. A third sector was later established using a ladder aerial devise to attack the fire.
The hospital staff made the crews aware of the location of lithium batteries in a separate building. They were advised that the building that caught fire was the theatre with pressurized vessels that contained a mixture of gases. Most patients in the hospital were already evacuated and some were still being evacuated on arrival of the fire brigade. The crews joined hospital staff to evacuate the remainder of the patients
No injuries or fatalities were reported during firefighting operations at the incident. The fire was brought under control and at around 21:14 and certain sections of the hospital were declared safe for patients to be moved back in.
Firefighters began cooling down (damping down) operations at around 21:50 in the theatre area and the north area of the hospital. The cooling down operations were completed at 23:32 after an assessment to make sure that there were no smoldering fires that may flare up. Firefighters left the scene at 00:35 on 6 December 2024.
The Emergency Services Department would like to remind the community to always report any fire or rescue incident using our toll-free number 107 or contact us directly on 012 310 6300/6400. Please remain calm when reporting an emergency. Give your name, telephone number, location or street address to the operator for our firefighters to locate you swiftly.