Rio Police Indict Five in Shopping Tijuca Fire That Killed Two

Overview

• Three Shopping Tijuca managers and two Bell'Art managers were indicted by the 19th Police Precinct on charges including qualified arson resulting in death, with two mall executives also cited for procedural fraud.
• Security footage and a police timeline show the panic button was hit at 6:04 p.m., evacuation began 11 minutes later, firefighters were called at 6:27 p.m. and arrived at 6:40 p.m., which police say contributed to the deaths of Emellyn Menezes and Anderson Aguiar.
• The forensic report points to a thermo‑electrical origin in a technically inadequate environment, citing improper wiring, high fire load, failures in compartmentalization, ineffective detection and sprinklers, and no effective smoke control, with temperatures estimated above 700°C inside the store.
• Bell'Art lacked a fire department permit and operated for 13 months with the mall’s knowledge, and a report signed by the two victims days earlier warned of fire risks such as using the machine room as storage.
• Police accuse mall management of breaching an interdiction by allowing access and removal of items from the scene, while the mall and its contracted brigade firm assert protocols were followed and equipment had been recently verified; the case now goes to prosecutors.