SAO PAULO, May 28 (Xinhua) -- At least four people died on Friday when a fire broke out in a COVID-19 patient area at a public hospital in the city of Aracaju, capital of the Brazilian state of Sergipe, local authorities said.
The fire occurred on Friday morning in the Doctor Nestor Piva North Zone Municipal Hospital in Aracaju, according to reports from the municipal health ministry.
A woman who was being transferred died at the scene, as well as three other people, while 35 patients, some on oxygen, had to be transferred to other area medical centers.
Fire Department spokesperson Lieutenant Fabiano Queiroz told local media that the fire started at about 6:30 a.m. and was brought under control about 30 minutes later.
The fire may have originated in the air conditioning circuit of the COVID-19 area, according to witnesses. Enditem
