SAO PAULO, May 11 - A fire linked to a suspected gas explosion in Sao Paulo has left one person dead, caused damage to about 10 homes and injured three others, the Sao Paulo state fire department said on Monday.
The incident occurred in Jaguare, a neighborhood approximately 16 km (10 miles) from Sao Paulo’s city center. Local media images showed heavy smoke and collapsed rooftops following the blast.
In a post on the social media platform X, the state fire department said it had sent 12 fire engines to the scene and that a liquefied petroleum gas - LPG - explosion was likely the trigger for the fire. A spokeswoman for the department told local outlets that crews discovered a male fatality beneath the rubble.
Three other residents were pulled from the wreckage with minor injuries - two men and a woman - the spokeswoman said. She estimated that around 10 buildings were directly affected but noted fire crews did not have a precise count at that point.
Firefighters at the site were continuing search operations for any additional victims. The human toll and the full extent of structural damage remained uncertain as first responders worked through the scene.
One resident described the moment of the explosion and its immediate aftermath: "I couldn’t find my dog. I was thrown out. It was me, my son, and my dog. My house exploded." The comment was reported by local media covering the rescue and recovery effort.
Authorities have not released further details about the investigation into the cause of the blast or the identities of the injured and deceased. Emergency teams remained engaged in fire suppression and victim search operations as of the latest updates from the fire department.
Context and response
The state fire department’s deployment of a dozen engines underscores the scale of the emergency response required to tackle the blaze and to search damaged structures for survivors. Local media documented visible destruction across rooftops and the presence of significant smoke in the immediate aftermath.