A young mum and her three children and another mother of three have died in a huge fire that destroyed a 22,000-square-foot industrial park as they screamed for their lives while trapped.
The victims have been named as Vanessa, 27, her three children aged 7, 3 and 11 months, and married mum of three, Luciene Santana Santos, 39.
The fire broke out in a plastics factory in a warehouse in the Brazilian city of Barueri (estimated population 279,704) in the Greater Sao Paulo region on Thursday, 26th August.
The fire quickly engulfed an area nearly the size of 2,000 square metres (21,528 sq ft), with a toxic plume of smoke visible from over 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.
Witnesses attest to hearing the screams of Vanessa and her children, who were stuck inside a neighbouring warehouse that also caught fire and were unable to escape.
Their charred remains were later found in the bathroom.
They and Rafael, Vanessa’s husband and father to her children, had only been living in the building – a warehouse housing a recycling plant and makeshift housing units – for 20 days.
Rafael was at work when the tragedy unfolded and rushed home when he noticed the fire. He burnt his arm and face while trying to enter the home to save his family.
Forty seamstresses at a garments factory in another warehouse that caught fire only managed to escape with their lives after they made a hole in the wall of the building using a wooden beam.
Luciene, who worked at the factory, initially survived the fire and was hospitalised with burns to 80 percent of her body. She succumbed to her injuries the following day.
She leaves behind a husband and three children aged 9, 12 and 20.
At the time of reporting, a 45-year-old woman remained hospitalised in a serious condition, four people had to be treated for smoke inhalation, and another two were treated for minor burns.
Nine buildings, including two residences, were affected in the blaze. The local authorities also evacuated a number of people and suspended some school classes due to the toxic smoke.
It took 97 firefighters in 28 vehicles to bring the fire, which broke out at around 11 am, under control at 2.20 pm.
The company that owns the factory where the blaze started, Araguaya Quimica, is said to be cooperating with the authorities.
Vanessa and her children were buried in the Barueri Municipal Cemetery on Friday, 27th August.
