Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 2 May 2018

Brazil firemen lament

failing to save man

as building fell

By SARAH DiLORENZO and be calm, to look only at the
PETER PRENGAMAN firefighters, to try to ignore
Associated Press the blazing heat coming
SAO PAULO (AP) — They just from the fire.
needed 30 seconds more, "He was secured, he was
a firefighter sergeant said. ready," Santos said. "The
He had thrown a rope with problem was the building
an improvised harness to a collapsed and the amount
man hanging from a burn- of rubble and hot embers
ing building in Sao Paulo's that fell on him."
old downtown, and the The building, a former
man managed to secure federal police headquar-
his leg and shoulders. But ters, caught fire around
just as the sergeant's team 1:30 a.m. and firefighters Firefighters work in the the rubble of a building that caught fire and collapsed in Sao Paulo, Brazil,
was ready to tug the man worked to evacuate peo- Tuesday, May 1, 2018.
away, the building col- ple. Less than two hours Associated Press
lapsed like a pile of domi- later, the 25-floor building
noes, pulling the man into a collapsed. The cause of the Mayor Bruno Covas or- watched the building col- cusp of a comeback and
cloud of red-hot debris. fire is under investigation. dered civil defense au- lapse about 45 minutes is equal parts dilapidated
Brazilian TV broadcast Tues- The blaze scorched the thorities to evaluate the later. and edgy. Several city ad-
day's dramatic rescue at- facade of a neighboring approximately 70 other oc- "Entire families lost every- ministrations have led cam-
tempt and the collapse of building and damaged a cupied buildings in the city. thing," she said. "People paigns aimed at beautify-
an abandoned govern- church. In all, five buildings "It's a building that didn't think that people who live ing and redeveloping the
ment building that had nearby were evacuated. have the most minimal con- in an occupation are ani- area, which now hosts most
been occupied by squat- The fire is sure to put a spot- ditions to live in," Sao Paulo mals. We are not animals. of the city's homeless and
ters. By the end of the day, light on occupations of state Gov. Marcio Franca, We are human beings." has numerous blocks occu-
only the man whose rescue other abandoned build- who visited the site, told Clearing debris and ac- pied by crack addicts.
failed was believed dead. ings in Brazil's biggest city. news site UOL. "The occu- counting for people who Junior Rocha, who is a co-
Firefighters and dogs were The occupations are often pation should never have had been inside could take ordinator for an organiza-
continuing to search the led by highly organized fair- been allowed," he added. days. Debris smoldered tion that runs three down-
smoldering rubble — some housing groups that run the Several families who fled throughout the day, and town occupations, said the
of which was still too hot to dwellings like regular apart- the burning building set up firefighters said the intense group takes precautions
walk over — for his body ment buildings, with door- camp outside a nearby heat made the search dif- to avoid tragedies, but the
and any other victims. No men and residents paying church, where neighbors ficult. In a video posted on buildings are old and diffi-
firefighters were hurt. monthly fees. Others are and local businesses were their Facebook page, fire- cult to maintain.
"Of course, it's impossible to less formal and more pre- dropping off supplies such fighters showed a search The authorities "are go-
not be emotional," firefight- carious. as bread, milk and bottled dog assessing an area and ing to use this as a way to
er Sgt. Diego Pereira da Sil- In a July 2017 story on the water. Some brought used then turning back when the pressure our movements
va Santos later told report- occupations, The Associ- clothing and shoes. heat became too much. to leave these buildings,"
ers. "It was a victim, it was a ated Press reported that Lohany Michely said she The fire was in an area he said. "The state is acting
person who needed help, around 350 families were was asleep with her boy- known as "Centro," which is as if us, the occupiers, us,
who shouted for help." living in the former police friend and dog in their Sao Paulo's historic down- from the movements, are
The sergeant described headquarters. Local media apartment on the third town. It began emptying responsible for this. We're
how he and his team said Tuesday that between floor of the building when out in the 1970s and 1980s not responsible, the system
climbed onto the roof of a 50 and 150 were currently she began hearing people after several fires, and an- is at fault."
neighboring building — us- living there, underscoring outside yell about a fire. other business district de- Dayana da Silva is worried
ing axes to gain access. He the sometimes fluid nature Seeing smoke, the couple veloped. These days, the about her future. "I'm not
said he urged the man to of such makeshift dwellings. left with their dog, then neighborhood is on the going back there."q