Firefighters release Rio’s Sambódromo; mayor recognizes that hoses were removed due to risk of theft

The Rio de Janeiro Fire Department carried out a new inspection this Saturday afternoon (28) and decided to release the Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome for technical rehearsals by the samba schools. Restaurants and food courts, however, will remain closed.

The release aims to authorize the rehearsals scheduled for this weekend. Among the schools that will pass through the space in the coming days are Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel and Mangueira, with parades scheduled for this Sunday night.

The document, however, does not endorse – yet – for the 2023 Carnival. The estimate is that the document will be signed and filed by Tuesday (31).

“The City Hall filed a request for an extension of the Term, but Riotur has not yet signed the document. After the inspection by the military yesterday, the city government tried to file the extension, but it was impossible because of the weekend”, says an excerpt from the note from the Fire Department.

An emergency inspection was carried out last Friday (27th), after a first-degree judge responded to a request from a lawyer and gave 24 hours for the Sambadrome to present documents attesting that there was no risk of accidents or fire. If this were not done, the Sambadrome would be banned.

At the site, firefighters found irregularities, such as defects in the steering wheels for driving the hydrants in sectors 5, 6 and 9 and the absence of hoses and connectors in all sectors. A notification vetoing the technical tests was issued.

This Saturday, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes (PSD), acknowledged that the fire hoses were removed from the Sambódromo due to the risk of them being stolen. The mandatory safety item was not in the correct location on the carnival stage in an inspection carried out by the Fire Department this Friday (1/27).

Paes was asked if he was aware of information that would have been declared by the president of the Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba do Rio (Liesa), Jorge Perlingeiro, that the hoses were kept and would only be placed in the Sambadrome on the day of the events.

“Unfortunately of course you are aware. […] We need more public security in Rio, because people are stealing everything they want. Steal traffic sign, fire hose. The samba hall, for example, was completely renovated last year and there is no private security that can resist so much impunity in Rio, right. So we need more public security, more effort in this”, replied the mayor.

After the declaration, the report of the CNN questioned the government of Rio de Janeiro, responsible for the Civil and Military Police. In a note, the government states that “the Military Police routinely operate in the Sambódromo region, engaging in policing around the perimeter of Rua Marquês de Sapucaí and its surroundings”. They also say that “during the period of technical rehearsals and Carnival, the PM guarantees reinforcement in patrolling the region, with an increase in the number of soldiers working in the area”.