RIO DE JANEIRO E BRASÍLIA - A fire of large proportions swallowed Rio de Janeiro’s National Museum on Sunday (2nd) evening. Firefighters were working to stop the flames since 7:30 pm and the building was destroyed.
The fire started after the visitation hours, for both the museum and the zoo nearby, There were no victims.
It was the oldest museum in Brazil, and it was managed by UFRJ (Federal University of São Paulo).
The institution's hardships, imposed by budget cuts from the federal government, were well known.
The National Museum hasn't received funding for building maintenance, a total of R$ 520,000 (US$ 125,000) since 2014. There were visible signs of disrepair in the 200-year-old building, such as exposed wiring and walls with peeling paint. It once housed Brazil's imperial family.
The collection had over 20 million items, mostly of scientific and research value, focusing on paleontology, anthropology, ethnology, among other fields. Less than 1% was exposed to the public.
Some of the highlights were Bendegó's meteorite, the largest found in Brazil, an Egyptian mummy collection, Luzia's skull, the oldest woman in the Americas, Greek and Etruscan pottery, and the first large dinosaur ever assembled in the country.
"It's an incalculable loss for Brazilian science and history. Our history was burnt down," lamented João Wagner Alencar Castro, a geology professor at UFRJ who was on site to survey damage control efforts.
Translated by NATASHA MADOV
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