Fire Strikes Hospital in Rio de Janeiro and Kills at Least Eleven

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL –  A large fire struck last night, September 12th, the Badim Hospital, of Rede d’Or, located at Rua São Francisco Xavier, in the Maracanã neighborhood, north zone of Rio de Janeiro.

The fire started with a short circuit in the hospital’s Building 1, the oldest in the complex, spreading smoke over all floors of the building.

The State Secretariat of Health said it also assisted in evacuating patients. In a note, the secretary said that a total of 15 ambulances were sent to the site.

The patients were transferred to the Hospital Israelita Albert Sabin, in Tijuca, also in the north zone, and to other Rede d’Or hospitals, of which Badim is a member.

According to information released by the Fire Department, the greatest concern was evacuating critically ill patients, who could not be immediately moved because they were in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).

Rede d’Or, which is affiliated with Badim, confirmed that a patient in critical condition died after leaving the building affected by the fire, due to the inhalation of toxic smoke.

Firefighters reported that the whereabouts of some employees and patients are not yet known.

The firefighters are still looking for people who have disappeared inside the building, including staff and patients.

The fire started around 6:30 PM, but the firefighters only found most of the bodies in the early hours of this Friday, September 13th.

A witness says he noticed the fire trucks’ lights and said he did not hear any alarm, only the firemen evacuating the building.

The Fire Department reported that the blaze was contained after over four hours. The corporation conducted a sweep of the unit and performed a cooling and cleaning operation in the building.

In all, the hospital had 103 patients hospitalized.

Source: Agência Brasil

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