The fire that killed 10 young footballers at Brasileiro side Flamengo’s training ground in Rio de Janeiro "was caused by a spike of electricity that led to a fire in an air conditioning unit," club CEO Reinaldo Belotti said on Saturday, according to Andrew Downie of REUTERS. The fire started in the early hours of Friday morning, a day after a "devastating storm struck Rio and killed at least six people." Belotti said that the adverse weather conditions "caused energy spikes that could have caused the fire" at the Ninho do Urubu, Flamengo’s training center on the outskirts of the city. Belotti: "It was succession of events after a catastrophic day for Rio that led to this even greater catastrophe." One of the 13 young players to escape the blaze "had previously said he fled the building after waking up and seeing his air conditioning unit on fire." Three teenagers were taken to hospital with injuries, one of them in serious condition (REUTERS, 2/9). In London, Sam Jones reported Rio de Janeiro declared three days of mourning following the fatal fire. The city said in a statement that the area burned "was registered for parking, not as a dormitory," and that an investigation into the licensing process was underway. Flamengo President Rodolfo Landim said, "We are distraught. This is the worst tragedy to happen to the club in its 123 years. The most important thing right now is to minimize the suffering of these families." Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella ordered three days of mourning, while Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro lamented the fire taking "the young lives at the beginning of pursuing their professional dreams" (GUARDIAN, 2/9).
PELÉ, NEYMAR PAY TRIBUTE: The BBC reported Pelé described the club as "a place where young people pursue their dreams." He tweeted, "It's a very sad day for Brazilian football." Neymar posted the Flamengo crest on Instagram, writing, "My sentiments" (BBC, 2/8).
