Fire Extinguished at Barrio Lindo Fair; Damage Assessment Begins Amid Collapse Risk

The intense fire that ravaged the Barrio Lindo fair in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, has finally been declared completely extinguished. Firefighters, volunteers, the Armed Forces, and various government institutions worked for over 36 hours straight to put out the last remaining heat sources. However, the end of the flames marks the beginning of a new, critical phase: assessing the extensive damage and clearing the debris.

Authorities have implemented strict access restrictions to the affected commercial center. The prolonged exposure to intense heat has significantly weakened the internal structures, creating a substantial risk of collapse. Police Commander Colonel Jhenky David Gómez Córdova confirmed that the weakened state of the buildings poses a primary danger during recovery operations.

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After more than 36 hours of uninterrupted work (...) they managed to extinguish and declare the fire totally extinguished.

Jorge Santistevan, the Santa Cruz Governorate's Security Secretary, explained that the fire's extinction is just the first step. The subsequent phase requires meticulous care as teams begin the rigorous process of sifting through the wreckage. Preliminary assessments indicate that approximately 55% of the commercial center suffered damage, while about 45% was preserved from the blaze. The most heavily impacted areas were the northern front sections and stalls within the main shed.

Despite the successful extinguishing of the fire, the cause of the incident remains under investigation. Municipal cleaning services have already begun clearing debris from adjacent streets. Officials are urging merchants and the public to stay away from the site until technical and safety evaluations are fully completed, ensuring the area is safe for re-entry.

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We have officially declared that the fire is extinguished. That is one phase, moving to the next phase which is the search, the cleaning of the area, which is the most rigorous, because the interior structure is absolutely weakened and it could collapse.