An early morning fire led to the evacuation of staff and patients at the Vredendal Hospital in the Western Cape.

In a statement, Leensie Lötter, the spokesperson for the West Coast District and Paarl Hospital, said no injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Lötter said all the wards and the emergency centre were evacuated.

“Patients at Wards A and C, and the emergency centre, returned to the wards once it was declared safe for occupation by Fire and  Rescue Services. Patients who were treated in Ward B will now be accommodated in a newly renovated ward that was not affected by the fire,” she said.

“Should patients need transfers to other facilities, due to the fire and subsequent loss of beds, the families of these patients will be contacted by the hospital management to keep them updated.

“The emergency centre has not been affected by the fire and normal emergency services will continue.”

Lötter said the extent of the damage caused by the fire would be assessed, after which timeframes for the repair and restoration would be determined.