Patients evacuated as Mombasa hospital catches fire

Fifty-six patients admitted at Jocham Hospital in Mombasa were evacuated on Saturday when fire erupted in the X-ray and ultrasound section.

The fire which started at 5pm spread rapidly to other sections of the private hospital in Kisauni.

The hospital’s administrator James Obuya said the fire mostly affected the children’s wing, but there were no casualties reported.

“When the fire began, we quickly moved our patients out. Therefore, there were no casualties and the patients are safe,” he said.

Mombasa County fire chief Mwamlevi Swaleh Abdalla said they received a distress call from the hospital at around 5.30pm.

“We responded and in six minutes we were at the site. The patients were outside and we tried to put out the fire,” he said.

Mr Mwamlevi said a power surge caused the fire.

A guard at the facility Ismael Jewa said he noticed smoke on top of the building.

“When I found out it was from the X-ray section which was closed, I quickly switched off the main switch but the fire had already erupted,” he said.

The patients have been moved to a new wing.