BOLIVIA: Flames prove tough to extinguish in abandoned area in La Paz

Record ID: 862402

  • Title: BOLIVIA: Flames prove tough to extinguish in abandoned area in La Paz
  • Date: 22nd November 2011
  • Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (NOVEMBER 20, 2011) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) GENERAL VIEW OF FIREMAN WALKING IN FRONT OF STORAGE SHEDS THAT HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN AN ABANDONED INDUSTRIAL ZONE IN LA PAZ VARIOUS OF THE FIRE VARIOUS OF FIREMEN WORKING TO PUT OUT THE FIRE VARIOUS OF WORKERS TRYING TO SAVE THE MERCHANDISE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FELIX MAMANI, TRADER, SAYING: "We had lingerie there. If we do not store here, where do we put it?" VARIOUS OF FIREMEN WORKING TO PUT OUT THE FIRE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HERIBERTO PARAVICINI, POLICE COMMANDER, SAYING: "We are still in the middle of it, like you. It is being verified. All of our units are here, from the centre, from the city, from the south. We have appealed also to the airport to help us put out this fire." VARIOUS OF FIREMEN FIGHTING TO PUT OUT THE FIRE VARIOUS OF HEAVY MACHINERY TRYING TO BREAK A FENCE TO ENTER A SHED CLOSE-UP OF POLICE WITH PLUGS ON THEIR NOSES VARIOUS OF THE FIRE IN THE SHEDS
  • Embargoed: 7th December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Bolivia, Plurinational State Of
  • City:
  • Country: Bolivia
  • Topics: Disasters
  • Reuters ID: LVA9V0LI8VOV7EE6PZK3KQOORNAT
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Fireman in La Paz struggled to put out a fierce warehouse blaze on Sunday night (November 20).
    The fire broke out in an abandoned part of town and quickly ripped through a former textiles factory in the city's north.
    Traders tried to save all the produce they could as the flames ravished the building.
    Felix Mamani was among traders who had been using the area for storage.
    "We had lingerie there. If we do not store here, where do we put it?" said Mamani.
    The cause of the fire is not yet known, but it is believed that flammable products caused it to spread fast.
    Police commander Heriberto Paravicini did not comment on whether anyone had been hurt but said his forces were concentrating on trying to bring the blaze under control.
    "We are still in the middle of it, like you. It is being verified. All of our units are here, from the centre, from the city, from the south. We have appealed also to the airport to help us put out this fire," said Paravicini.
    The fire has since been contained, but only after a lengthy struggle.
    Authorities are now faced with the task of looking into the cause.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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