Photo / A patient died when the hospital caught fire in Rio de Janeiro

The fire allegedly originated in the basement of one of the many buildings that make up the hospital, in a hospital warehouse, said Lauro Boto, spokesman for the Rio fire department.

A fire reached the federal hospital in Bonsucesso on Tuesday 27-W, one of the main public units in Rio de Janeiro, in the north of the city, and forced firefighters to remove 200 people from the building.

A woman hospitalized with covid-19 died while being transferred to another unit, as confirmed by the hospital director.

The fire allegedly originated in the basement of one of the many buildings that make up the hospital, in a hospital warehouse, said Lauro Boto, spokesperson for the Rio fire department.

Brigade members managed to remove all patients alive. During the evacuation, a 42-year-old woman who tested positive for the coronavirus and was hospitalized in an intensive care unit died, the hospital director confirmed to Band News radio.

The fire and the thick black smoke emanating from one of the premises of the complex generated nervousness and caused a rush between nurses and doctors, who ran to remove the hospitalized patients. Many sick people have come out into the open on hospital beds and wheelchairs, escaping the fire.

Around noon, when smoke was still rising from the hospital roofs, the brigadists were able to control the flames, a spokesperson for the Rio firefighters told The Associated Press.

Twelve firefighters have been working on the scene since the morning. Boto said the structure of the building hit by the flames could be compromised.