Chile: A large fire affected the pediatric sector of the San Borja Arriarán hospital in Saiago

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Firefighters from Santiago de Chile confirmed a large fireregistered early this morning at the San Borja Arriarán hospital , which has led to the evacuation of numerous patients .

Through Twitter, the Ministry of Health confirmed that the fire did not affect any sector with patients, but the boiler area, electrical installations and other hospital services were affected.

The patients were transferred to the Barros Luco and Metropolitano hospitals; and to the Madre e Hijo and Juan Pablo II clinics.

The alert was declared around 07:00 in the morning and there is no record of victims, while at least 20 fire companies worked on the site to control the emergency

According to medical sources told the ADN radio chain , the main point of the emergency took place on the third floor of the healthcare facility, in the children's ICU , specifically in a warehouse.

There was also evidence of serious damage to the plant immediately above it , as confirmed by the Chilean Emergency Information Network.

The Minister of Health, Enrique Paris , visited the place to learn about the situation together with the Minister of the Interior, Rodrigo Delgado.

According to information from the National Emergency Office (Onemi), they were evacuated internally from floors 5 to 7 , from the south wing of the hospital to the north. Meanwhile, floors 2 and 3 were transferred to the security yard.

In dialogue with journalists, Paris stated, We want to make a call for calm. Evacuations are in progress. Coronavirus patients must be transferred with much more caution by means of special stretchers and ambulances equipped for Covid-19.

Then he said that the newborn children will be transferred to the Mother and Son and John Paul II clinics, and that they are doing well.

He said, So far there are no deaths. I want to give peace of mind to the family. I thank the officials for their work and work.

According to what the local newspaper La Tercera reported, the Fire Commander, Gabriel Huerta, reported that the work of the teams is focused on the evacuation of patients and extinguishing the flame. Now we are finalizing the evacuation of the most complicated patients. He said that those with less risk have already been transferred and confirmed that there are no firefighters or civilians injured at the moment.

The San Borja Arriarán Clinical Hospital (HCSBA) is a type I hospital that offers highly complex care . It is located in the commune of Santiago, Chile, and currently serves more than 700 thousand people from the communes of Santiago, Estación Central, Cerrillos, Maipú and Pedro Aguirre Cerda.

The hospital complex has 26,500 m² , whose structure comprises two buildings: a main 9-storey building, and the Diagnosis and Treatment Center (CDT). The HCSBA pediatric emergency room is the oldest in Latin America.