Doc hailed a ‘hero’ for saving COVID-19 patients in hospital fire: Romania

Dr Catalin Denciu has burns to 40% of his body after a fire broke out in a dedicated coronavirus hospital, local media report
Australian Associated Press
Dr Catalin Denciu.

A doctor has burns to 40% of his body and has been hailed a hero after trying to rescue patients with COVID-19 from a fire in a Romanian hospital.

The blaze broke out in the ICU of a hospital dedicated to treating patients with coronavirus in the northeastern city of Piatra Neamt on Saturday and spread to an adjoining room.

Some 10 people died in the fire, and seven others were in a critical condition, including the doctor on call, said Romania’s agency for emergency situations (ISU).

The doctor, named as Dr Catalin Denciu in local media reports, was flown to Belgium’s Queen Astrid Military Hospital on Sunday for treatment, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper.