The fire sent plumes of smoke into the sky above Rio de Janeiro
A fire has broken out in the carnival district of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, destroying warehouses where floats are made, reports say.
At least four warehouses, a samba school and a carnival museum have been damaged in the blaze at Samba City.
It is unclear if anyone was injured in the fire, which spread quickly because of the quantity of flammable materials.
Rio’s world-famous carnival, due to begin on 4 March, attracts thousands of tourists and people from across Brazil.
A large plume of black smoke can be seen above the purpose-built Sambadrome - where the parade takes place - located near the city’s port.
According to reports, the fire erupted well before employees were due at work. No victims have been reported so far.
Some 90% of costumes in the damaged warehouses have been destroyed, according to O Globo.
The president of the samba group alliance - whose schools perform at the carnival event - described the loss as “tremendous“, according to Globo TV’s website.
But he vowed that the carnival would go ahead as planned, even though there would not be time to recreate everything lost in the fire.
“We are heartbroken,” Mr Castanheria said. “Everything was practically ready for the carnival.”
Up to 700,000 international tourists attend the event each year, mainly from the US and Europe.
Rescue workers searching for victims after heavy rains in January 2011 caused mudslides in Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Photograph: Vanderlei Almeida/AFP/Getty Images
Urban planning has never been part of Brazil’s political agenda, so when heavy rains come cities are not able to cope
As I write, more than two weeks after the floods began in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state, many communities remain isolated due to landslides on the main access roads.
More than 800 people died and thousands of people have been displaced in the state, according to official figures. One of the worst affected towns is Santa Rita. Dozens of families still depend on helicopters to deliver food, water, and emergency healthcare. In the town of Teresópolis, people are starting to clear debris in the streets by hand, with shovels and brushes. And in Nova Friburgo, families watch, and cry, as their homes are demolished.
In the neighbouring state of São Paulo, the richest in the country, 25 people died because of the heavy rains. In Santa Catarina state, in the south, five people lost their lives and 17,000 had to flee their homes.
The January rains in Brazil are becoming more severe and floods are becoming a routine. But while specialists say it’s too early to confirm the heavy rains are caused by climate change, the fact is that Brazilian cities have never been ready for them.
Urban planning has never been part of the political agenda.
Governments react, rather than plan and prevent. The ministry in charge of monitoring urban planning, the Ministry of Cities, was only created in 2003. The Supreme Court is still deciding if all cities will have to set out and follow an urban plan as defined in 1988 in new federal constitution. (more…)
