Fire kills 10 at Brazilian soccer academy

Authorities looking at possible short circuit in AC unit.

RIO DE JANEIRO — A fire early Friday swept through the sleeping quarters of an academy for Brazil’s popular professional soccer club Flamengo, killing 10 and injuring three, most likely teenage players, authorities said.

Firefighters were called just after 5 a.m. to the sprawling Ninho de Urubu training grounds in Rio de Janeiro’s western region. Overhead images from an Associated Press drone showed a smoky, charred area of the complex.

“We are distraught,” Flamengo President Rodolfo Landim said outside the complex, where friends, fans and neighbors gathered, some in prayer. “This is the worst tragedy to happen to the club in its 123 years.” He did not take questions from reporters who also were outside the complex but added: “The most important thing right now is to minimize the suffering of these families.”

The cause of the fire was not known, but Claudio Castro, vice governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, said authorities were looking at the possibility of a short circuit in an air conditioning unit. It is currently summer in Brazil.

In a statement, the city said the area that burned was registered for parking, not as a dormitory. The statement said an investigation into the licensing process was under way.

Latin America’s largest nation suffers from shoddy

infrastructure, often exacerbated by lax oversight and endemic corruption.

Sebastian Rodriguez, the uncle of one of the players who died, 15-year-old Samuel Thomas Rosa, said his nephew never complained about the conditions.

“He never told me anything bad about the training center,” Rodriguez said. “He liked the environment and his teammates there.”

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Marcelo Crivella ordered three days of mourning, and President Jair Bolsonaro issued a statement lamenting the fire had taken “the young lives at the beginning of pursuing their professional dreams.”

Passion for soccer runs deep in Brazil, and as news of the tragedy spread, many of the world’s best players and top officials expressed condolences.

Flamengo is perhaps the most famous club in the country, with some 40 million fans nationwide. Supporters are so attached to their academy team that players have a motto for them: “Flamengo makes legends at home.”

Among the most famous players to come through the club are Ronaldinho and Zico, former stars on Brazil’s national team; top goalscorer Adriano, who rose to fame at Inter Milan; and current Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr., who not long ago was living in the building destroyed by the fire.

Beatriz Busch, public health secretary for the state of Rio de Janeiro, said two of the injured were in stable condition, while a third was in critical condition.