According to officials,at least 10 people were killed in a fire break out on Friday in a defunct hotel being used as a makeshift homeless shelter in the city of Porto Alegre in southern Brazil.
Emergency workers confirmed 10 victims at the site, which was operating without proper authorization, said the fire department for Rio Grande do Sul state, whose capital is Porto Alegre.
Emergency officials said that nine injured people were rescued and taken to local hospitals for treatment
“It happened very fast. People yelled ‘fire!’ When I saw it, it was already two doors from mine. I ran out as fast as I could because there was already a lot of smoke,” an unidentified resident of the building told news site G1.
The fire broke out around 2:00 am (0500 GMT), officials said.
Firefighters took around three hours to bring fire under control.
“Forensic experts are at the scene to identify the victims and investigate the cause,” the fire department said in a statement.
An AFP photographer at the scene early Friday saw firefighters still at work around the badly charred, partly destroyed three-story building.
According to images in Brazilian media from overnight showed the building engulfed in flames as firefighters battled to extinguish them.
