Rooftop solar panels catch fire at Pretoria East Hospital
2024Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Pretoria East Hospital
- What
- Solar panels above theatres caught alight
- Injuries
- None reported
- Response
- Emergency teams extinguished the blaze around midnight
- Cause
- Not reported
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What happened
A fire broke out at Pretoria East Hospital in Tshwane, South Africa, after solar panels located above some of the hospital's theatres caught alight. The blaze started on Thursday evening and was extinguished around midnight. Parts of the hospital were affected. All patients were evacuated to an area outside the hospital entrance and later moved back into some wards once the emergency services declared the building safe. No injuries or deaths were reported. The cause of the fire has not been reported.
Lessons learned
- Rooftop solar on occupied medical buildings should be included in fire risk assessments and routine inspection.
- Hospital emergency plans should cover evacuation and controlled re-entry when a rooftop array is involved in a fire.
- Patients should return only after the emergency services have declared the building safe.
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Not yet known
- Cause of the fire
- Solar panel model and age
- Length of theatre downtime
- Cost of repairs
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
