Fire in COVID hospital kills 3 in Bulgaria

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Officials say a fire broke out on a ward for COVID-19 patients in Bulgaria, killing three people. The fire in the southern Bulgarian town of Sliven broke out at about 2:40 a.m. Sunday, the chief of the local fire brigade, Vladimir Demirev, told reporters. The blaze occurred in a room on the fourth floor where three male patients were receiving care. He said two died at the scene and another succumbed to his burns later. The fire was quickly extinguished, and an investigation was launched to establish the cause. A new surge in coronavirus cases is overwhelming Bulgaria’s ailing health care system. On Sunday, health authorities reported 8,178 patients in COVID-19 wards, 745 of them in intensive care.