A PATIENT (41) who died after a fire broke out in her ward at Clairwood Hospital reportedly took a dose of her medication before setting herself alight, according to a statement from the Montclair Police.

The incident happened at the isolation ward of the hospital’s internal medicine unit earlier this morning (October 24).

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Police spokesperson for Montclair Police Station Captain Cheryl Pillay said the police were alerted of a fire incident in Clairwood and reacted swiftly.

“During this incident, a part of the ward caught fire. The fire department was in attendance at the hospital. Police are investigating an inquest docket,” said Pillay.

Preliminary reports indicate that hospital staff had tried to evacuate 24 of the 25 patients trapped inside the burning ward.

KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health confirmed that one patient died and several others were transferred to other wards at the Clairwood Hospital.

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

“The incident occurred in an isolation ward of the hospital’s internal medicine unit where the patient ignited the fire. At least 23 patients were safely evacuated from an adjacent ward, which also subsequently caught alight.

“They were transferred to other available beds within Clairwood Hospital. The eThekwini Fire Department successfully extinguished the fire, and no other injuries were reported. We can confirm that a full investigation is underway into this incident,” said the department in a statement.

However, the department did not divulge further details surrounding the patient’s death. At this stage, it is not clear why the patient was isolated in the medicine room.

Divisional commander for eThekwini Fire Department Justin Bateman said the fire erupted at the hospital’s general ward and spread rapidly throughout the entire block.

“When we arrived there, the fire was already spreading on the roof. Firefighters then started evacuating people. Unfortunately, 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, and the police will investigate further,” said Bateman.

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