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Patricia García, the Minister of Health, confirmed that about 70 – 80% of the valuable stock of medication and important documents from previous years were lost in a fire last night in the state owned warehouse located in the district of El Agustino.
According to the minister the main medical supplies for all the hospitals are secured and there won’t be any shortages. The circumstances and cause of the fire are very suspicious, especially as initial reports by government officials mentioned the loss of important documents of the Ministry and there were no comments about the extent of the damage to the medical supplies. Only after emergency services have cleared the area an investigation to the cause can be initiated.
The Commander of the fire department (Manuel Vera) confirmed, that the fire began inside a shoe factory located on the block 18 of the Independencia Avenue and after about an hour of intense heat produced by the burning chemicals and plastics in the factory the fire reached the MINSA warehouse.
Emergency crews including fire fighters from various districts attended the scene and began with the extinguishing attempts last night. Due to the massive amounts of water needed in the process, the pressure in the domestic supply was increased over 40% to guarantee the needed amounts. Still, multiple trucks with water tanks were seen pulling in and out permanently.
During the intense fire in the factory three firemen were reported missing as they did not return after their oxygen had run out (It was confirmed that they were using breathing apparatuses). A thorough search over the last nine hours including drones and specialized K-9 units finally confirmed that they were found lifeless.
