Brazil mourns treasures lost in blaze

Protesters blame fire on political corruption

RIO DE JANEIRO — Firefighters dug through the shell of Brazil’s National Museum on Monday, a day after fire roared through the building, as the country mourned the irreplaceable treasures lost and pointed fingers over who was to blame.

The museum held Latin America’s largest collection of historical artifacts, and officials suggested that the damage could be catastrophic, with most objects in the main building probably lost.

For many in Brazil, the state of the 200-year-old natural history museum quickly became a metaphor for what they see as the gutting of Brazilian culture and life during years of corruption, economic collapse and poor governance.

“It’s a crime that the museum was allowed to get to this shape,” said Laura Albuquerque, a 29-year-old dance teacher who was in a crowd protesting outside the gates. “What happened isn’t just regrettable. It’s devastating, and politicians are responsible for it.”

The cause of the fire that broke out Sunday night was not known. Federal police will investigate since the museum was part of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

But protesters, commentators and museum directors themselves said years of government neglect had left the museum so underfunded that its staff had turn to crowdfunding sites to open exhibitions.

Luiz Fernando Dias Duarte, the museum’s deputy director, criticized authorities for starving the museum of vital funding while spending lavishly on stadiums to host the World Cup in 2014.

Roberto Leher, rector of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said it was well-known that the building was vulnerable to fire and in need of extensive repairs.

Civil defense authorities were concerned that internal walls and the roof could collapse further, so officials had to wait to conduct a full accounting of losses.

Duarte said that anything held in the main building was likely destroyed. The collection of 20 million cultural and historical items included pieces that belonged to the royal family and a painting by the Brazilian artist Candido Portinari.

The museum, once home to the royal family, also housed extensive paleontological, anthropological and biological specimens.

Leo Correa The Associated Press Firefighters work Sunday to douse the flames at the 200-year-old National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. According to its website, the museum held thousands of items related to the history of Brazil and other countries.