High-Rise Building Collapses in Downtown Sao Paulo Due to Fire

On Tuesday, an abandoned high-rise building in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, which a group had illegally occupied, caught fire and collapsed. Burning debris from the building spread onto neighboring buildings and surrounding streets. Firefighters reported that at least one person was killed in the incident, and the number of victims and injuries may be higher. According to the Associated Press, the building, which was formerly the headquarters of Brazil's Federal Police, caught fire around 1:30 AM local time. Firefighters halted traffic around the building and began evacuating people. A few hours later, flames engulfed at least 20 floors of the building, and shortly thereafter, the entire structure collapsed. Footage captured by Globo TV shows the floors of the building collapsing onto each other, with burning pieces scattering around. A fire department official told Globo TV that at least one person lost their life due to the building's collapse. Rescue teams are searching for several others who are missing. The process of clearing the rubble and searching for individuals who were inside the building may take several days. Even four hours after the collapse, smoke was still rising from the ruins. The fire and collapse of this building will undoubtedly bring attention to the issue of illegal occupation by groups of people in vacant and abandoned buildings in Sao Paulo, the largest city in South America. Several large buildings in the city center have been occupied by a highly organized group advocating for fair housing. The Associated Press reported in June 2017 that over 350 families lived in the former police headquarters building. However, local media in Brazil reported on Tuesday that recently only 50 families had been living in the building.