Fortaleza’s César Cals Hospital Shut Indefinitely After Substation Fire Triggers Mass Neonatal Transfers

Overview

• The blaze began in the hospital’s external power substation and was contained around 11:30 a.m., with no injuries reported and no clinical areas affected.
• Authorities moved 117 babies and 153 women to eight hospitals across Fortaleza in an eight-hour operation supported by 13 SAMU ambulances.
• Energy utility Enel reported an internal defect in the facility’s network, executed an emergency shutdown, and deployed generators as the electrical system is examined.
• Officials say the substation is about two years old and received maintenance the day before the incident, a detail now under investigation.
• Firefighters, staff, and bystanders helped carry incubators into nearby shops to protect newborns, and hospital social workers are mapping patients and updating families after the transfers.