Fire at a chemical factory leaves 6 people in serious condition in Salto, in the interior of São Paulo

A fire at a chemical factory left 12 injured in Salto, in the interior of São Paulo; six in serious condition.

A column of fire and dense smoke could be seen from afar. The fire at the Piroquímica paints and solvents factory started around 10:30 am in Salto, 100 km from São Paulo. Residents in the region reported that they heard a first bang. A video, moments later, recorded another explosion that caused a rush.

According to the company, around 50 employees were working when the fire started. The factory stored around 100,000 liters of solvents, a highly flammable chemical product, which caused the fire to spread quickly.

"It's a very complex fire, such is the scale of this incident", says Lieutenant Leonardo dos Santos, from the Fire Department.

Fire at a chemical factory leaves 6 people in serious condition in Salto, in the interior of São Paulo — Photo: Jornal Nacional/ Reproduction

Águia helicopters, sent from Campinas and São Paulo, also helped with the rescue. Twelve people were injured, six seriously. Among them, a firefighter and the owner of the company. The victims were taken to hospitals in Salto and the cities of Indaiatuba, Sumaré, Campinas and São Paulo.

"Wow, I kept looking at people like that... It's scary", says hairdresser Laura Lavinia Soares.

The entire area around the company was isolated. Seven hundred properties had their electricity supply interrupted as a safety measure. Residents of neighboring regions had to leave their homes. Laura left with her children:

"There's no way, with the three children. Our lives are more important."

Real estate agent Edvaldo José Celestino, his wife and their 13-year-old son also left in a hurry:

"And the biggest difficulty is that it's right when the children arrive at school. It's a torment," he says.

Fire at a chemical factory leaves 6 people in serious condition in Salto, in the interior of São Paulo — Photo: Jornal Nacional/ Reproduction

At 6:19 pm, the fire persisted. The wind changed direction and carried the dense smoke towards houses and apartment complexes. Firefighters worked on three fronts, fighting the fire in two parts of the company.

"We start from the edge to the center. First, we worry about the neighboring buildings, then we do the cooling, then we attack the fight itself", says Captain Maycon Cristo, spokesperson for the Fire Department/SP.

The Piroquímica company declared that it is investigating the causes of the fire and that the priority is the safety of employees, neighboring communities and control of the situation.

"Where the fire is controlled, there is no longer this risk of spreading, and now we are starting to confine this fire more and more until it is extinguished", says Captain Maycon Cristo.