Hospital fire in Chile forced evacuation of intubated Covid-19 patients

A big fire was recorded this Saturday at the San Borja hospital, one of the most important health centers in Santiago de Chile, without killing or injuring, but evacuated patients, especially people with coronavirus .

At least 37 units and more than a hundred firefighters are working on the site, the force reported on its Twitter account, in an attempt to extinguish the flames which produced a column of smoke visible from various parts of the capital.

The fire started around 7:30 am (local and Argentinian time) on the fourth floor of the enclosure where the boilers are located, for which an “internal evacuation” of four floors and two more to the interior patio was National Emergency Office through its website.

From the enclosure, the Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, underlined that “the fire broke out in an area where there are no patients. So there are no injured or deceased patients, ”according to statements reproduced by the newspaper La Tercera.

The most serious patients, including some with coronavirus, have been referred to other hospitals in the capital, Public Health Under-Secretary Paula Daza said via her Twitter account.

“Most of the criticism is those of Covid-19,” Minister Paris said in this regard.

“There were 27 critically ill patients who were intubated. These are first transferred to stretchers fitted with portable ventilators, then transferred to the Posta Central (health clinic). A child and three other patients who were in a less critical situation were transferred, ”added the official.

For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Rodrigo Delgado, clarified that the transfers were decided “not only according to the situation of each patient, but also according to the required specialty” and added that campaign tents will be installed nearby in less serious cases.

Coronavirus in Chile

The fire coincides with the timing of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Chile, where much of the healthcare system is operating at its maximum capacity.

The coronavirus leaves more than 4,000 new infections a day for a month.