Joelma fire

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The Joelma fire occurred in the Joelma building, a 25 story building situated in downtown São Paulo, at 225 Avenue Nine of July. It is one of the most notable tragedies to have occurred in Brazil.

On the morning of February 1, 1974, during business hours, a short-circuit in an air-conditioner on the 12th floor ignited the fire. Almost all of the building was occupied by a single banking company, Banco Crefisul S/A. The large amounts of paper, plastics, electrical equipment and wooden walls and furniture contributed to the fire spreading rapidly. Most of the people attempted to escape upwards, due to the stairs being filled with smoke, in the hope of being rescued by helicopter, but Joelma did not have a heliport. Despite the bravery of the fire fighters, 18 people jumped to their deaths to escape from the fire or in failed attempts to reach to out-of-reach fire ladders. At the end the death toll reached 188.

It was the second serious fire in São Paulo in less than two years. The first one took place in 1972 in the Andraus Building, also in downtown São Paulo, killing 16 people. After the Joelma fire, the legislation concerning the fire prevention codes in all of Brazil was updated.

It has long been rumored that the Joelma Fire inspired the film The Towering Inferno (1974), but the film was in the pre-production phase during the disaster.