At least 10 people killed in Brazil fire

At least 10 people were killed yesterday in a fire that broke out in a defunct hotel being used as a makeshift homeless shelter in the city of Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, officials said.

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.

Mayor Sebastiao Melo wrote on X that multiple injured victims were rescued and taken to the hospital, but did not say how many. Local media reports put the number of injured at 11, some in serious condition.

"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.