A massive fire caused the collapse of a 22-story skyscraper in downtown São Paulo overnight. Located at the intersection of Avenida Rio Branco and Largo Paissandu, near Vale do Anhangabaú, the building previously served as the headquarters of the Federal Police and was occupied by about 90 families from a housing movement.
According to residents, the fire started around 1:30 a.m. following an explosion on the fifth floor and quickly spread throughout the structure, also affecting neighboring buildings, such as the Martin Luther Church located on the square and another high-rise facing the collapsed structure.
Some of the families living in the building had already been registered by the São Paulo Housing Secretariat, many of whom were immigrants. The Fire Department is responding at the scene with more than 30 vehicles and has so far reported only one missing person.
Help the affected families with donations at the following addresses: Ocupação Mauá - Rua Mauá 340, Paróquia Santa Ifigênia - Rua Santa Ifigênia 30, Ocupação Luana Barbosa - Rua Dr Augusto Miranda 22, and Cruz Vermelha (Red Cross) - Av. Moreira Guimarães 699. Emergency items include: food, water, clothing (children and adults), diapers, shoes, and personal hygiene products.
The Wilton Paes de Almeida building, designed in 1961 by architect Roger Zmekhol as the headquarters for the Companhia Comercial de Vidros do Brasil, was famous for its large glass facade, which in 1992 earned it level 3 protection on the list of the Municipal Council for the Preservation of the Historical, Cultural, and Environmental Heritage of the City of São Paulo (Conpresp).
References: El País, Folha de S. Paulo.
This article was written by Romullo Baratto. The translation is powered by AI.
