A 35-year-old female mental health patient was fatally burned to death in a fire at George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Gauteng. The incident occurred in the female psychiatric unit, where the patient was placed as part of her prescribed treatment. The fire broke out in a seclusion room, and the fire brigade quickly contained and extinguished it, but the patient sustained fatal injuries. The hospital staff had already extinguished the fire in a single isolation ward using portable fire extinguishers.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, and the scene was handed over to the police. Nineteen female patients were safely evacuated to another psychiatric ward with no injuries, and firefighters conducted positive pressure ventilation to rid the ward of excessive smoke. The cause of the fire is still unknown at this stage.
The department will offer counseling services to the family of the deceased and the other patients who survived the fire. The Gauteng department of health wishes to extend their deepest condolences to the patient's family as they mourn the sudden passing of their daughter. Police have opened an inquest docket for investigation.
