Firefighters putting out remnants of fire at Museum of Portuguese Language

Fire crews are still at the Museum of the Portuguese Language, in downtown São Paulo, putting out the last remnants of the fire that partly destroyed the historic building yesterday (Dec. 21). Ronaldo Pereira Cruz, a brigade member at the museum, died while attempting to curb the fire.

The museum is located in the building that also houses the Luz station, one of the city's landmarks. The building was inaugurated in 1867. The station serves two lines of São Paulo's rail operator CPTM and two subway lines—Line 1 (blue), and Line 4 (yellow). Two CPTM lines were affected after the station was closed.

Civil Defense authorities announced they are waiting for firefighters to finish their work before they can conduct an inspection. A short circuit might have caused the fire while a lamp was being changed. This hypothesis is based on accounts from employees.

According to state officials, recovering the archive will be possible, as the collection was stored online. The building will also be restored. “We'll rebuild this museum, which reflects the soul of the Brazilian people, with the support of the population of the state, the country, and the private sector,” said Governor Geraldo Alckmin yesterday (21).

According to the State Secretariat for Culture, the museum “met all the requirements for safety and for the circulation of visitors and employees, and safety procedures were carried out on a regular basis. Also, the building was insured against fire for [$11.3 million].”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira