Fire incident reported in Rio de Janeiro airport cargo terminal

A cargo terminal at the Rio de Janeiro Galeão International Airport was consumed by huge flames this Wednesday, forming a giant plume of smoke that could be seen from several parts of the city. Authorities reported no casualties nor injuries and said the situation had been brought under control as of this afternoon. 

The accident reportedly delayed seven flights, even though the airport management company reports normal operations. Following security procedures, firefighters also evacuated a nearby building housing Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service. 

More than 150 firefighters worked to contain the flames. There is still no information about the financial damages.

The incident also affected car traffic, which led Rio’s Operations Center to advise drivers to avoid areas close to the airport. Authorities are still investigating what caused the fire.

Civil defense authorities admitted that firefighters were not called by the airport’s team. The department only became aware of the fire after press inquiries began to pour in.

The Rio-Galeão Airport is tucked away on the Ilha do Governador to the north of the city. It has been progressively losing passengers in recent years — in 2020, the first pandemic year, the airport’s passenger traffic fell by 80 percent. Rio residents dislike the ride to and from Galeão due to the need to pass through expressways infamous for their bottlenecks and occasional carjackings. 

The issue of its administration has become a headache for the federal government. Early last year, Singapore’s Changi Airport Group announced it was leaving Brazil and that it would return control of the airport back to the federal government. The two sides are still locked in a legal battle.

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