Emergency workers confirmed 10 fatalities at the Garoa Floresta, which was operating without a permit or fire prevention plan, according to the fire department for Rio Grande do Sul state

At least 10 people were killed on Friday after a fire broke out at a defunct hotel being used as a makeshift homeless shelter in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, officials said.

The fire broke out around 2 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT), officials said, adding that at least 13 other people were injured in the incident and taken to local hospitals, some in critical condition.

It took firefighters around three hours to bring the blaze under control. Images in Brazilian media from overnight showed the three-story building engulfed in flames as firefighters battled to extinguish them.

About 30 people were believed to be living at the guesthouse at the time of the incident. The cause is unknown.

Emergency workers confirmed 10 fatalities at the Garoa Floresta, which was operating without a permit or fire prevention plan, according to the fire department for Rio Grande do Sul state, whose capital is Porto Alegre.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sent his condolences to the victims’ families in a message on X (formerly Twitter), saying the tragedy left him “saddened”. He said that the guesthouse was used to house people in “vulnerable” situations.

Porto Alegre Mayor Sebastião Melo declared three days of official mourning in the city.

State Governor Eduardo Leite said he was “deeply shocked” by the disaster and vowed to investigate the incident.

“The fire department dispatched five trucks and dozens of firefighters to fight the flames. We will continue working on the aftermath of this tragedy and the investigation of the causes,” he wrote on X.

State lawmaker Matheus Gomes accused the city government of giving funds to the homeless shelter even though it had faced reports of non-compliance with regulations “for years”.

He wrote on X: “There needs to be an investigation not only into the fire, but the entire chronicle of this tragedy foretold.”

The building is part of the Garoa group, which has at least 10 small hotels in Porto Alegre.

The deadly fire comes 11 years after another in the same state. More than 240 people died and hundreds were injured after a flare lit by a band during a concert ignited the ceiling of the Kiss nightclub in the town of Santa Maria, trapping hundreds inside and setting the building alight.

Investigators found the club lacked working fire extinguishers and had insufficient exits. Four people were found responsible and sentenced to prison terms of 18 to 22 years.