A 41-year-old patient who died after a fire broke out in her ward at Clairwood Hospital in Durban reportedly took a dose of her medication before setting herself alight, according to Montclair police.

The incident occurred earlier this morning in the isolation ward of the hospital’s internal medicine unit.

Montclair Police Station spokesperson Captain Cheryl Pillay says police were alerted to the fire and responded swiftly.

“During the incident, a part of the ward caught fire. The fire department attended the scene, and police are investigating an inquest docket,” adds Pillay.

Preliminary reports suggest hospital staff managed to evacuate 24 of the 25 patients trapped inside the burning ward.

The KZN Department of Health confirms the death of one patient, while several others were transferred to different wards at Clairwood Hospital.

“A 41-year-old female patient tragically passed away after reportedly setting herself on fire in the early hours of this morning, which led to the destruction of an entire ward.

“The incident took place in an isolation ward in the hospital’s internal medicine unit. At least 23 patients were safely evacuated from an adjacent ward that also caught fire.

“They were moved to other available beds within the hospital. The eThekwini Fire Department successfully extinguished the fire, and no other injuries were reported. A full investigation is underway,” says the department.

The department did not provide further details regarding the patient’s death. It remains unclear why the patient was isolated in the medicine ward.

Divisional Commander for the eThekwini Fire Department Justin Bateman says the fire began in the hospital’s general ward and spread rapidly.

“When we arrived, the fire had already spread to the roof. Firefighters started evacuating people. Sadly, one woman was caught in the fire and died. We managed to stop the fire from spreading to other buildings. The cause of the fire is still under investigation,” adds Bateman.