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Minor Fire in IPS Hospital Sub-Basement Causes Smoke Scare
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Minor Fire in IPS Hospital Sub-Basement Causes Smoke Scare

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • A small fire broke out in the sub-basement of the Hospital Central del IPS in Paraguay, causing significant smoke.
  • The fire, which originated from a burning piece of cloth, spread smoke through the ventilation ducts, alarming patients and staff.
  • Hospital officials are investigating the cause, with a leading theory suggesting a homeless person may have started the fire for warmth.

Patients and authorities at the Hospital Central del Instituto de Previsión Social (IPS) experienced a scare midday on August 9, 2026, due to intense smoke emanating from the hospital's exterior ducts. The smoke resulted from a small fire, or conato, involving a piece of cloth in the second sub-basement level.

Dr. Osvaldo Alvarenga, the hospital's medical director, stated that the exact origin of the fire remains unknown. However, a prevailing theory is that a homeless individual may have entered the area seeking shelter and started a fire to ward off the cold. "What we have in concrete is that it was a small fire, because it was not really a fire caused by third parties," Alvarenga explained. "It is an area with a system of locked doors; we found one door forced open, which should not be the case."

What we have in concrete is that it was a small fire, because it was not really a fire caused by third parties.

— Osvaldo AlvarengaDescribing the nature of the incident in the hospital's sub-basement.

Fire prevention teams and hospital staff investigated the ducts, tracing the smoke to the sub-basement. They discovered a piece of cloth and other residues, showing signs of burning and emitting significant smoke. Alvarenga noted that the situation could have been much worse. While there are no cameras in the immediate area of the fire, investigations are underway using footage from nearby cameras to identify who might have started it. Despite security measures and approximately 40 police agents on duty, the large perimeter of the facility makes it challenging to prevent unauthorized individuals, including homeless people, from entering the premises.

It is an area with a system of locked doors; we found one door forced open, which should not be the case.

— Osvaldo AlvarengaExplaining how access might have been gained to the area where the fire started.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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