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Expectant women admitted at the Kangundo Level 4 Hospital were whisked away to safety on Saturday, February 25, after a ward adjacent to the maternity caught fire.
The hospital’s management took precautions against the razing fire, which had shown signs of spreading to other wards.
In photos seen by Kenyans.co.ke, a section of the hospital was clouded by dark smoke as the fire consumed part of the furniture owned by the facility.
The fire, according to witnesses, started at around 1 pm on Saturday, February 25.
A volunteer attempts to extinguish the fire on February 25, 2023.
Amos Mativo
A worker in the hospital alarmed the head of security, who, in turn, initiated the safety protocol.
Volunteers offered to put out the fire using the extinguishers erected at strategic positions within the hospital’s premises – albeit with no success.
Firefighters from Machakos County arrived minutes later and eventually handled the situation. No casualties were reported as all women were evacuated to safety, according to the hospital’s management.
Children who were admitted to the ward adjacent to the isolation centre were also left unharmed in the incident.
The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained by the time of this publication. However, witnesses reported that it originated from an isolation centre set aside for Covid-19 patients.
While addressing the media, the Head of Security in the hospital noted that the isolation wards were undergoing maintenance and hence were not in use at the time of the outbreak.
In the preliminary assessment of the loss incurred, an officer working in the hospital noted that mattresses and beds were among the property destroyed by the fire.
“A worker alerted me of the incident and I followed up by calling the firefighters from Machakos,” the head of security reported.
File image of firefighters responding to an emergency call
File
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