A fire at the Maternal and Child Hospital in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, led to the evacuation of more than 80 people on September 12, including patients, visitors, and medical staff. The incident, which originated from a short circuit in the hospital's air conditioning system, caused smoke to spread through the pediatric area, prompting an immediate response from Civil Protection and local firefighters.
Civil Protection officials said no injuries or smoke-related illnesses were reported as the fire was quickly contained. "We have no injuries or fatalities. We only had to evacuate 80 people, including patients and medical personnel," the agency told TV Azteca. Authorities also noted that the smoke was largely confined to the emergency area, which allowed for a swift evacuation of those in the waiting room.
In a particularly delicate situation, three women in labor were transferred by ambulance to a nearby hospital to ensure their safety, as well as that of their newborns.
However, amid the chaos, a tragic story has emerged. A family whose premature baby had been hospitalized for eight days revealed that their daughter died following the fire. According to an interview with Hoy Tamaulipas, the family has expressed serious concerns about the conflicting information provided by hospital staff regarding their daughter's condition before and after the fire.
Padres aseguran que su bebé, de 10 días de nacida, falleció tras haber inhalado humo durante un conato de incendio en el Hospital Materno Infantil de Reynosa. https://t.co/DC8PxIc1R3
— INFO7 (@info7mty) September 13, 2024
The baby, born on September 3, had initially been intubated but had shown signs of improvement in the days leading up to the incident. "She was doing better," the mother, Yesenia Guadalupe Bernal, told Hoy Tamaulipas. "They told us she just needed to gain 1.2 kilograms to be transferred to the neonatal unit."
Hours before the fire, the family was reassured that their baby was stable, but shortly after the evacuation, they were informed that her condition had deteriorated rapidly. "They told me she was out of danger," the father recounted, only to later be told that she had developed pneumonia.
The family, distraught and confused, feels that the hospital has not been transparent about their daughter's care. "At midnight, they called me, and I found it strange," the mother recalled. "When I arrived, they told me my baby had gone pale, was intubated, and had a lung infection. But at 1 p.m., they told me she was fine."
To add to their grief, the parents said they first learned of their daughter's death through social media posts about a baby who had died following the fire, not directly from the hospital. "Why didn't they inform us earlier? Why give us hope if she was always in grave condition?" the mother asked.
The family is now seeking clearer answers from hospital authorities, who have yet to release a full report on the baby's sudden decline in health. As of now, the hospital remains under evaluation to assess the structural damage from the fire and determine when operations can safely resume.
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