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.
The year 2011 is already looking pivotal in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup Brazil™, with fans and observers to start seeing the first tangible signs of the festival of football scheduled for 2014.
Penned in for the end of July will be the Preliminary Draw in Rio de Janeiro, which will define the groups for the qualifying phase of the competition. And in the days prior to the event, at which Brazil intends to begin showing the world what it can expect over the coming three years, there will be a number of workshops and seminars taking place in the same venue as the Preliminary Draw itself.
Another significant landmark due to take place over the course of 2011 will be the unveiling of the official slogan for Brazil 2014, while in addition work on three of the 12 stadiums which will host matches at the showpiece competition should have begun by the end of June. What is more, the decision on which venues will welcome games at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 will be made this year, as will the match calendar for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the launch of its volunteer programme.
As far as security matters are concerned, the proposed course of action for the competition will continue to grow and evolve. This will occur via meetings with the country’s various public security forces (municipal guards, military police, civil police and traffic officers), a process that has already been carried out with Brazil’s fire department. (more…)
