Fire at small hotel in southern Brazil kills at least 10 people
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A fire tore through a small hotel in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre early Friday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 11, authorities said.
The fire broke out in the early hours in the three-story building, which provided affordable housing for single people but which lacked proper licensing and lacked an emergency fire plan, the fire brigade of the Rio Grande do Sul state said on social media.
A witness told local media that he managed to leave his room at around 2 a.m. after the fire broke out, dashing through smoke as flames approached.
“I only had time to put on my flip-flops and run. My sister, who lived on the third floor, ended up being burned to death,” 56-year-old Marcelo Wagner Schelech told daily newspaper Zero Hora.
Nine of the 11 people rescued were hospitalized, five of them in critical condition, local authorities said. Porto Alegre Mayor Sebastião Melo said on his social media accounts that he was following the investigations into the fire closely.
Known as Garoa Floresta, the hotel is part of the Garoa group, a chain that has at least 10 small hotels in Porto Alegre. In 2022, a fire broke out in another one of the hotels, killing one person and injuring 11.
Related articles
Yu Darvish extends scoreless innings streak to 25 in Padres' 9
ATLANTA (AP) — Yu Darvish dominated a slumping Braves offense and extended his career-high scoreless2024-05-21Legendary CBS announcer Jim Nantz gets tongues wagging on social media after making an X
CBS announcer Jim Nantz had fans scratching their heads with an apparent slip of the tongue on Frida2024-05-21Penny Lancaster, 53, showcases her endless legs in a thigh
Penny Lancaster flaunted her model legs as she exited the London Ritz with her husband Sir Rod Stewa2024-05-21Colin Firth's Pride and Prejudice wet shirt up for auction
Colin First as Mr Darcy in the white shirt which is being auctioned. Photo: Supplied2024-05-21Supreme Court rejects an appeal from a Canadian man once held at Guantanamo
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanam2024-05-21Bernie Sanders wants to spend $10BILLION on long Covid 'moonshot' operation
Far-left Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed a massive investment in research into long Covid, a con2024-05-21
atest comment