South Africa probes cause of Pretoria hospital fire

South Africa’s Gauteng health department is investigating the cause of a fire at a hospital in the capital, Pretoria, early on Monday morning.

There were no patients or staff casualties from the fire that affected temporary structures at Steve Biko Hospital, the South African government said in a statement.

The fire was later put out.

The government said that 18 patients and one body had to be moved to other areas of the hospital as a safety precaution.

The cause of the fire was unknown and an investigation was under way.

The fire is the third such incident in a hospital since last year.

Nearly 700 patients were evacuated in April last year from Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg following a blaze – prompting the hospital to be closed for a week.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

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