The inn hit by a fire that left ten dead in the early hours of this Friday (26) had an agreement with the city of Porto de Alegre to receive people in socially vulnerable situations. Despite this, the place did not have a permit or licensing from the Fire Department to operate as such.
According to the municipal administration itself, Pousada Garoa Centro was accredited by the city's Social Assistance and Citizenship Foundation and won a bid to welcome homeless people there in exchange for an amount paid by the city hall.
According to the foundation, there were 30 people in the building that caught fire, 16 of which were homeless people covered by the municipal program. The building next door, which was evacuated and had no victims, was also occupied by 30 people, with 15 being beneficiaries of the program.
Mayor Sebastião Melo (MDB) was at the scene of the fire this Friday morning (26) and said that he still does not know if, among the ten dead, there are any beneficiaries of the program.
Asked about the company having a contract with the city hall without having a Firefighters license, the mayor stated that companies that do not meet the requirements are automatically disqualified under the bidding law and that, therefore, he believes that the company presented, at the time, all necessary documents. However, the mayor stated that this will still be checked in the documentation.
“Between Brazil’s role and reality there is always a very big difference on several issues. The public manager does what the law allows… there is a checklist to participate in the bidding, so she certainly presented that checklist, now whether this happened in real life or not is up for investigation”, he declared.
Melo also stated that all beneficiaries of the city hall program who were there will be relocated to other shelters.
In addition to the ten dead, seven people were rescued alive and taken to hospitals in the region. According to the Porto Alegre Civil Defense, the fire may have been criminal, as there is information that a person had entered the place during the early hours of the morning. The Civil Police investigates the case.
Source: CNN Brasil
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