Fire Badly Damages Mexico’s Congress Building; 1 Man Killed
Mexico’s Congress building was badly damaged by a major fire early today that killed one man and destroyed the Chamber of Deputies, authorities said.
Miguel Soriano Blanco, 46, who worked as a waiter for Congress President Guillermo Jimenez Morales, was killed in the blaze. Another man was overcome by smoke and taken to a hospital, city authorities said.
The fire at the marble-faced legislative palace, which broke out at 3:30 a.m., was brought under control two hours later. Firemen arrived within minutes but flames were so fierce in the Chamber of Deputies, which had carpets and wood furnishings, that only the steel frames of the legislators’ seats were left standing.
The nation’s 500 deputies are in recess.
The cause of the fire was unknown, but officials said a sprinkler system at the Congress apparently malfunctioned for lack of water, possibly due to lack of pressure. Some officials said the fire may have been caused by a short circuit.
They added that it was not yet established whether important documents were destroyed in the fire.
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