Bloemfontein - More than 100 patients were evacuated from Dihlabeng Hospital, in Bethlehem, on Tuesday, after a fire in its kitchen, said the Free State health department.
“No one was treated for smoke inhalation and there were no injuries as a result of the fire,” said spokesman Mondli Mvambi.
About 100 patients on the fourth floor were evacuated to the hospital's casualty area after the fire broke out around 5.30am, he said.
Mvambi said kitchen equipment was damaged in the blaze, but there was no serious structural damage.
The cause of the fire was still unknown, and the department was waiting for the local fire department's report.
Mvambi said the patients had been moved back to their wards by Tuesday afternoon.
“A clean-up is currently underway to ensure that the kitchen is fully operational as soon as possible,” he said.
The kitchen at the nearby Phekolong Hospital and sub-kitchens at the Dihlabeng hospital were being used to prepare meals for patients. - Sapa