Incêndio do Chiado - Lisboa, Portugal
Posted by: 
Torgut
N 38° 42.655 W 009° 08.381
29S E 487855 N 4284707
Arguably the most tragic city fire in the History of Portugal
Waymark Code: WMFBQ7
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
Date Posted: 09/25/2012
Views: 13
The 25th August 1988 was a hot day, as all Summer days are in Lisbon. Suddenly, a fire started in the heart of the old town, in a street named Rua do Carmo. When it was all over, many hours later, a fair part of downtown commerce streets was razed by the fire. Some of the most emblematic stores of Lisbon were gone: Armazéns do Chiado, Estabelecimento Eduardo Martins, Pastelaria Ferrari and Casa Batalha are just a few examples. 18 buildings were destroyed, 2000 persons became unemployed. 1150 firemen and 275 fire trucks were involved, and two of these brave men died, with further 73 wounded.
Apparently, the bad planning of the area, which was mostly pedestrian, blocked the access of the firemen, which had to improvise in order to fight the fire.
It took decades before the renovation of the burnt area. Nowadays that part of the city is a live neighborhood brought back by a project of the architect Siza Vieira, which includes a new metro station.
Coverage of the events by the National TV (RTP): (
visit link)