The fierce wind helped the fire spread quickly.

07:18, Wed, Nov 26, 2025 Updated: 07:42, Wed, Nov 26, 2025

The fire at the hospital

The fire ripped through the building (Image: SER_CARTAGENA/X)

Patients had to be evacuated from a hospital after a fire ripped through the building. Flames have engulfed the Santa Lucía University Hospital in Cartagena, Colombia which is reported to be spreading rapidly.

The massive blaze is affecting several floors of the hospital with firefighters racing to the scene. Dramatic images show thick plumes of smoke billowing out of the hospital. While videos from inside the hospital show the fire alarm wailing as hospital staff race to get patients to safety. Patients with the ability to walk can be seen wondering the halls as they are directed to a safe place.

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Incendio en el bloque 5 del Hospital de Santa Lucía, que se ha propagado con mucha rapidez favorecido por el viento.

Los pacientes han sido evacuados mientras los bomberos trabajan en su extinción. No hay constancia de que haya daños personales pic.twitter.com/I1uzkbQ1kg

— SER_Cartagena (@SER_Cartagena) November 26, 2025

From the outside of the building large sections of the hospital appear to be engulfed in flames, the fire is visible from the adjacent CT-33 highway which is the access road to the port.

The blaze is believed to have started at around 7:50am local time with the wind helping to spread the fire rapidly.

According to local reports, only one of Santa Lucía University General Hospital's buildings has caught fire.

The fire is said to have broken out during shift changes and when a large number of patients are arriving for appointments. The cause of the blaze and whether there have been any injuries is unknown.

One person wrote on X: "Fire in block 5 of the Santa Lucía Hospital, which has spread very quickly, aided by the wind.

"Patients have been evacuated while firefighters work on extinguishing it. There is no record of any personal injuries."

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