Share

Arson suspected after two fires at Durban's Addington Hospital

Two fires flared up near fire exits in Durban's Addington Hospital on Thursday which may have been acts of arson, the KwaZulu-Natal department of health said on Friday.

"Both fires appear to have happened in a similar fashion, which raises a high suspicion of classifying them as related acts of sabotage," the department said in a statement.

Both fires were set near fire escape routes where piles of plastic bags filled with garbage were apparently put out for collection.

The first fire was on the seventh floor at around 07:30 on Thursday, and the second was on the 10th floor at around 14:30.

They were contained by staff at the hospital and there were no casualties. Normal hospital operations were apparently also not affected.

KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo visited the hospital afterward to assess what had happened and expressed shocked over the fires.

"There is something amiss here and a suspicion of an act of sabotage is not far-fetched. Both fires occurred on the fire escape routes in a similar fashion," said Dhlomo.

"A case of arson has been opened at Point Police Station and we want the perpetrators to be arrested for gambling with people's lives, and compromising patient safety." 

An update from police on the investigation was not immediately available.

Last Saturday there was an attempt to abduct newborn babies and their mothers at the hospital.

Two men gained access by wearing staff name tags, and pretending to be there to register newborn babies.

The sister in charge of the ward refused to release the mothers and their babies - and the men left.

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.

- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 549 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 793 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.92
+0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.88
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.41
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.1%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE