Vila Nazaré counts losses after fire.
A fire that started early Monday evening devastated recycling sheds and some small houses in the area; no one was injured; four firefighters became ill from smoke inhalation and had to be taken to Cristo Redentor Hospital for treatment.
Nicolas Pasinato
On the 21 - After being surprised by a fire in the early evening of Monday (6), residents of Vila Nazaré, in the North Zone of Porto Alegre, are counting the losses and starting to plan what they will do to overcome the incident. The fire devastated recycling sheds and some small houses in the area. No one was injured.
The fire spread to a part of the village's back area. Alexandre Bernardino, 40, owner of one of the destroyed warehouses, was on site when the fire started, but he doesn't know exactly what caused it. He estimates he lost around R$ 10, which includes recyclable materials, a cart, a house where his brother lived, and the warehouse itself. In addition, some of the animals he raised, such as pigs and dogs, died in the fire.
Bernardino hopes to count on the help of public agencies and society to rebuild the area and continue his activity. He works with four other people. "Any material like wood and roofing will be welcome to build another shed and continue earning our little bit of money," he says.
Leandro Barbosa, one of the residents who helped his neighbors fight the fire and save some belongings, celebrated the fact that the wind was blowing in a direction where there weren't many houses. "If the wind had been like today's, blowing towards the houses, it would have destroyed the whole village," he emphasized.
On Tuesday morning (7), firefighters were waiting for the arrival of a backhoe and a water truck to definitively combat any fire that could spread again. One of the firefighters who was on site said that the place is prone to fires, due to the large amount of garbage and flammable materials.
On Monday night (6), four firefighters became ill after inhaling smoke and had to be taken to Cristo Redentor Hospital for treatment. They are all doing well and have already been released. In addition, a fire truck was hit by the fire and was unable to continue helping to fight the fire.
Others affected
Ivan Rogério da Silva, 47, also suffered losses in the fire. He lost a warehouse and a house where he lived with his wife and two young children. "I lost my house, stove, TV, bedding... Everything," he says. While he rebuilds his house, he and his family have managed to get a room to live in from a friend.
Marco Aurélio da Silva, for his part, lost two small houses and a recycling shed. This morning, he was counting the material that had not been affected by the fire. "Now it's time to lift our heads and keep working," he says.