According to local reports, one man died while being rescued moments before the building came down. A further three people are believed missing, but local authorities have not confirmed the numbers.
The massive fire struck two buildings in Largo do Paissandu on Tuesday, causing one of the properties to suddenly collapse. The neighboring building is still ablaze but fire crews are on the scene.
The fire department has said there is no risk of the second building collapsing, Folha reports.
Preliminary reports indicate that the building which came down was uninhabited, however local merchants cited by Estadao say some people were squatting in the upper floors. The property was previously used by the Federal Police.
Images shared on Twitter by firefighters show the extent of the fire’s destruction at the site.
