Three prisoners dead and 43 injured after fire in a Brazilian prison

At least three prisoners died, and 43 others were injured yesterday, Wednesday, after a fire broke out in prison in Florianópolis, the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil, local authorities reported.

The fire originated in a mattress in cell 22, in one of the prison’s wings for new inmates, explained the president of the prison’s Prison Affairs Commission, William Shinzato.

“The regional government acted quickly with the fire department, the prison administration, and the scientific police to fight the fire, discover the cause of the fire, identify the victims, and provide relief to any other detainees who may have been affected,” the Santa Catarina Security Secretariat specified.

The Brazilian Bar Association reported that the three deceased were victims of smoke intoxication caused by the fire.

The fire was controlled so that it did not spread to other sectors, and pavilions of the prison, the Penitentiary of Florianópolis, indicated the local news network “GloboNews”.