Everything known about the explosion in Sao Paulo’s secret fireworks warehouse

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Civilian police treat the person who died in the accident, Adir de Oliveira Mariano, 46, as the main suspect in causing the powerful explosion. He had been renting the house at 79 Calle Francisco Bueno for about 40 days, but was largely unknown to his neighbors.

–The person who rented the house had only lived here for a short time, and no one suspected anything, so it couldn’t be helped. He came, got out of the car and left, explained José da Silva Filho, a neighbor.

Mariano has a previous conviction for involvement in balloon release, which is illegal in the country. His relatives visited the Institute of Medical and Legal Affairs (IML) on Thursday, but his body was charred and official recognition remains subject to examination. Until then, he was officially listed as missing, but authorities had no doubts about his identity.

— Find out who Adeel was collaborating with, whether he was acting alone, who he bought from, and how much money he had there. The artifacts were seized and sent to the police. Only then will we know whether it is explosive or dynamite, said representative Felipe Soares.

The fire department said the facility did not have a permit to manufacture or store fireworks. It remains to be seen whether Mariano simply stored the explosives at the scene or whether he also manufactured them.

— In fact, it was supposed to be a residence, not a functioning one. Handling or storing fireworks in residential areas is prohibited by law. To do this, companies must follow a series of requirements, including distancing from businesses and homes. This is precisely to prevent casualties in accidents, explains Captain Caroline Magalhães, spokesperson for the São Paulo Fire Department.

A total of 13 vehicles and 27 firefighters took part in rescuing the victims and extinguishing the fire. The incident occurred around 7:15 p.m. The explosion struck a nearby property, toppling a metal structure and damaging several vehicles parked in the area, according to the São Paulo Public Safety Secretariat (SSP).

“The SSP emphasizes that the illegal storage of explosive substances represents a serious risk to the life and well-being of the public and that all appropriate measures are being taken to establish the facts and hold those involved accountable,” the memo published by the ministry emphasized.

The house was completely destroyed, and on Thursday a crater about 40 centimeters deep could be seen in the remains of the building. Videos circulating on social media showed mushroom-shaped smoke and a kind of fireball from the explosion that exceeded the height of nearby buildings shortly after the explosion.

Traffic surveillance cameras also captured the accident. Video footage shows a driver passing the intersection of Celso Garcia and Salim Farah Maruf streets, slamming on the brakes and backing up to avoid the impact.

After the explosion, the São Paulo Civil Defense Department closed 23 nearby facilities, 12 completely closed and 11 partially closed. According to the agency, the affected residents were taken into care by their families.

— City Hall leaves no one behind. We will help those who cannot stay elsewhere, said Ricardo Melo de Araujo, vice mayor of São Paulo, who was on the scene and spoke to residents.

The most seriously injured was Elaine Paiva, who lived in a house near the explosion site. She was taken to Nipo Brasileiro Hospital with a traumatic brain injury. Eliane was in the kitchen when the explosion occurred and was thrown against the wall, hitting her head.

A man with bruises was treated at the same infirmary, while another man, bleeding from the ear, was taken to Tatuape Emergency Medical Services (Sam). Six people with minor injuries were examined at the scene and released, while a 19-year-old boy with a hand injury sought private medical treatment himself.

The morning after the attack, residents gathered amidst the rubble in front of their homes, which had already been covered with orange civil defense tape – “It was like the end of the world,” one resident recalled. Containers of the fireworks that caused the explosion were piled up in a sewer ditch, and the smell of gunpowder still permeated the area.

–The worst thing is now and the next day. Yesterday we were up all night and now we’re here to see it all – commented Yandra Steola, 26, a nutritionist. — We didn’t know what it was. My father thought it was a balloon, but the explosion was too big.

The young woman was leaving her room at the time of the explosion, but only heard the sound of the window breaking. His grandmother, Neusa Savioli, 90, had just left another room in the house to get medicine when the ceiling collapsed and she was almost hit by debris.

— Thanks to my altar here, it has been liberated, — said Noisa, pointing to a series of religious images arranged on a chest of drawers.

In addition to the damage, residents also had to deal with the seizure of pets that escaped during the riot. Some remain missing. One of the missing pets is dachshund Fred, a spotted sausage who lives with the family of the most seriously ill victim, Elaine Paiva. A social media post from relatives said: “We are appealing to anyone who has seen Fred to contact us. The grandson is devastated, the mother is in intensive care and the puppy is missing.” After spending the night on the street, the puppy was found in the morning.

— Caio will be very happy. Knowing they found him might make Elaine feel even better, the patient’s mother-in-law, Irene Mariano, told GLOBO.