Fire devastates Brazil museum
A massive fire on Sunday ripped through Rio de Janeiro’s treasured National Museum, one of Brazil’s oldest, in what the nation’s president said was a “tragic” loss of knowledge and heritage.
The majestic edifice stood engulfed in flames as plumes of smoke shot into the night sky, while some 20 fire brigades battled to control the blaze that erupted late at night.
Five hours later they had managed to smother much of the inferno that had torn through hundreds of rooms, but were still working to extinguish it completely.
The museum, located in the city’s north near the Maraçana football stadium, was closed to the public when the fire sparked from a yet unknown cause.
The fire “spread very quickly; there is a lot of inflammable material”, a spokesperson for Rio’s fire department told reporters, adding that there were no reports of victims so far.
The natural history and anthropology museum was founded in 1818 by King Joao VI and is considered a jewel of Brazilian culture, housing more than 20 million valuable pieces.
“This is a tragic day for Brazil,” President Michel Temer said in a statement.
The collection included art and artifacts from Greco-Roman times and Egypt, as well as the oldest human fossil found within today’s Brazilian borders, known as “Luzia”.
A deputy director at the museum, Luiz Fernando Dias Duarte, voiced “profound discouragement and immense anger” as the treasured institution burned.
He said the museum had never had necessary support.
The National Museum, which is linked to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, has suffered from funding cuts.
The fire comes as campaigning for October’s critical presidential vote gets under way. —