Home accident may have caused fire in São Paulo building
The explosion of a gas cylinder or a pressure cooker is regarded as the main hypothesis to explain the fire that took place in a building that collapsed in São Paulo city early Tuesday morning (May 1).
This is the main line of investigation, said São Paulo State Secretary for Public Security Mágino Alvez.
Two gas cylinders were found in the rubble and sent for examination at a forensic institute in São Paulo. Objects and debris will also be scrutinized.
The fire started around 1:30 pm and quickly spread until the building came down, which occurred at approximately 3 pm. The edifice, the former headquarters of a Federal Police superintendency, was occupied by dozens of homeless families.
The Fire Department answered the call right after the fire was triggered. A nearby building and a Lutheran church inaugurated in 1908 were also affected.
Forty-four people registered by city officials have failed to report to the authorities and are being regarded as missing by the firefighters. The body of the young man who fell off a window during a rescue attempt—widely seen on tape on Brazilian media—remains to be found.
Some residents decided to spend this Wednesday night (2) on the street instead of going to shelters offered by the city authorities. “We do not want to be forgotten by the government,” said street vendor Jéssica Matos, 20, who survived the fire. She spent the night on the sidewalk with her mother and sister, who is mentally impaired.
