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Fire rages through Sao Paulo slum as city faces dry season

APSeptember 04, 201211:37AM



Firefighters work to put out a blaze in a slum in the Campo Belo neighborhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Picture: Nelson Antoine Source:AP

FIREFIGHTERS in South America's largest city have controlled a blaze that raged through shantytown shacks, an increasingly common occurrence as Sao Paulo faces a severe dry season.

The fire department says the fire that started on Monday afternoon left four victims suffering burns and smoke inhalation but no reported deaths.

Several blazes have hit Sao Paulo's shantytowns recently. About 200 people lost their homes in a fire that raged through another shantytown on August 28.



A woman stands at a scene of and earlier fire at a favela (shantytown) in the east area of Sao Paulo, Brazil on August 28. Picture: Yasuyoshi Chiba Source: AFP

Authorities say precarious electrical wiring in poor communities is most likely to blame for the fires.

Slum residents have blocked major roads in recent days to protest what they say is the government's lack of help following at least four fires in the past two weeks that left scores homeless.

A request for comment from the Sao Paulo mayor's office was not returned.



Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire in a slum in the Campo Belo neighborhood of Sao Paulo. Picture: Nelson Antoine Source: AP