In a month there have been at least five fires in public markets in Mexico City, the strongest in La Merced, which has generated concern and doubt among customers and locals, while the capital authorities announced a renovation of the electrical facilities of these establishments, to remove the so-called ‘diablitos’ and avoid overloads.
The most recent fire occurred on January 19, at the Xochimilco Flower Market. According to the Secretariat of Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection, there were no injured persons, but there was an impact for 12 premises.
Earlier, on January 15, the fire of a market of colonia Morelos, on the avenue Eduardo Molina of the mayor of Venustiano Carranza, was reported. 15 premises burned down while the market was closed. No injured persons were reported.
The most serious event in the aforementioned period occurred in the Mercado de La Merced, on the night of December 24, on Christmas Eve. He left two people dead and significant economic damage to more than 800 people, who lost their workspaces and all the merchandise.
A day earlier, on December 23, a fire was recorded in the abelardo Rodríguez market, Colonia Centro, mayor Cuauhtémoc. At least three locations were consumed by fire.
In Callejón Girón 39, Colonia Centro, in @AlcCuauhtemocMx, the Abelardo Rodríguez Market is located; where fire was reported in 3 premises were burning various products. HCB reports total fire extinction. pic.twitter.com/PHulD1ITVX
— Firefighters City of Mexico Official (@Bomberos_CDMX) December 23, 2019
On December 22, the fire was in the Market San Cosme, also of the Mayor Cuauhtémoc. According to the report of the newspaper Reforma, at least 181 premises were affected.
The mayor of Cuauhtémoc, Néstor Núñez, told Reforma that as an authority they did not rule out the possibility of a boycott, causing fires in the markets, and ordered security to be strengthened in such establishments located in their demarcation.
However, after the fire at La Merced, the head of government, Claudia Sheinbaum, asked not to speculate, and wait for the outcome of the investigations by the local prosecutor’s office.
According to the experts of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Sheinbaum mentioned, the fires in the markets of San Cosme, Abelardo Rodríguez and La Merced, established “that they had been short circuits not provoked”, but really of an overheating by electrical overload.
“After the fire in La Merced, a working group was made between the Secretariat of Civil Protection, Civil Protection of the Mayors, the Secretariat of Economic Development and the Federal Electricity Commission, which are reviewing all the electrical installations, many of what we call devils, which are hanging even in the Merced itself, in many of the markets this process is being done,” the couldndid man said.
In total, he said, 200 million pesos will be invested to change the electrical installation of public markets.
Questioned this Sunday about the frequency of fires, the head of government ruled out a cause for alarm.
“It must also be acknowledged that in the last two (Xochimilco and that of the Morelos colony) were very few local shades, that is, the ones that had the greatest problems were La Merced, which you already know, and San Cosme, the others have only been in premises. So, I repeat, we are not going to say that there is nothing, nor to minimize, nor to speculate,” he said.
“Then you have to do the scientific evidence based on the expertise of the Attorney General’s Office, the Prosecutor’s Office today, and the interviews you do with the female students to know if there are any issues.”
Market fires:
San Cosme Market, 22 December 2019
Abelardo Rodríguez Market, 23 December 2019
La Merced Market, 24 December 2019
Morelos Colony Market, 15 January 2020
Las Flores Market, Xochimilco, 19 January 2020
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