Fortaleza Maternity Hospital Closes Indefinitely After Substation Fire as 270 Patients Are Moved

Overview

• The blaze began in the hospital’s external energy generation/substation area late Thursday morning and was quickly controlled with no injuries reported.
• Emergency teams transferred 117 newborns and 153 women to eight other facilities, with incubators briefly sheltered in nearby shops as residents and staff assisted.
• State health authorities say the nearly century‑old unit will only reopen after structural and electrical safety assessments are completed.
• Enel performed an emergency power cutoff, deployed generators to priority sectors and said the defect was within the hospital’s local network.
• A forensic investigation is underway, and officials noted the substation is two years old and underwent maintenance the day before the incident.