One dead after fire hits Mexican capital's subway headquarters
09/01/2021 15:59
MEXICO CITY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - A fire struck Mexico City's
downtown subway headquarters early on Saturday, officials said,
as smoke billowed out of the multi-story building roof, causing
at least one death as well as light injuries.
Six lines of the capital's sprawling subway lines were
knocked offline due to the fire, which was believed to be caused
by an electricity failure.
Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters near the building
that the early morning fire was "practically extinguished" as
teams of firefighters and water tanks remained at the scene.
Sheinbaum said one police officer, who had likely slipped
and fallen into the flames, was confirmed dead. She said 30
people had been transported to local hospitals due mostly to
smoke inhalation.
Officials said the fire began around 5 a.m. local time, and
investigators from the city government as well as Mexico's
national electricity company, CFE, were evaluating damages as
well as the exact cause of the accident.
While daily newspaper El Universal reported earlier on
Saturday that as many as 10 people remained trapped inside the
building, Sheinbaum suggested that everyone inside had already
been rescued.
(Reporting by David Alire Garcia and Adriana Barrera in Mexico
Editing by Matthew Lewis)
((david.aliregarcia@thomsonreuters.com; +52 55 5282 7151;
Reuters Messaging:
david.aliregarcia.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))