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Semana Santa Infierno in
Downtown San José
Semana Santa started out badly
for a great number of people as
a fire raged through part of
downtown San José yesterday
morning, destroying some 2.000
square metres (21.500 suare
feet) of space that included
retail shops and "cuarterias" -
make shift apartments.
The black smoke rising from the
fire was like watching footage
from the images of the Iraq war.
More than 50 people were left
homeless when the fire broke out
just before noon and quickly
spread as firefighters had to
call in units from San Pedro and
Pavas to help them battle the
blaze in barrio Los Angeles, on
Calle 10, between Avenida 10 and
12.
One man jumped from a second
story window to escape the
blaze, breaking a leg in the
process. Others could be seen
scurrying in and out of the
burning building trying to
salvage what they could in the
face of losing everything, in
what is being described as the
worst first for this year.
Though the cause of the fire is
still under investigation, fire
inspectors believe the fire
started as a result of a short
circuit in one of the cuarterias
where 12 illegal apartments were
created.
Many of the old downtown
buildings, mainly constructed of
wood, have been converted into
illegal apartments, creating
problems for firefighters to
enter the building, as well as
residents who do not count with
a clear and visible exit.
More than 60 firefighters
battled the blaze. which was
brought under control in 20
minutes. But, due to the wood
construction and the presence of
gas cylinders used for cooking
and dry heat of the season, the
20 minutes was more than enough
to completely consume the
buildings. Making the
firefighters job more difficult
was the presence of a paint
store on the ground floor of the
building.
Buildings in areas like barrio
Los Angeles are commonly
converted into illegal
apartments, with shoddy
construction and makeshift
electrical connections, creating
tiny apartments, in some cases
not larger than 2 metres by 2
metres (6.5 feet by 6.5 feet),
that become death traps in the
case of fire such as yesterdays.
The tiny units provide
affordable accommodation for
many, ranging in rents from $50
per month an up. In some cases,
these small apartments are home
to half a dozen or more people.
The Municipality has had a
difficult time controlling these
types of construction.
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