'Incalculable Loss' as Fire Destroys Brazil's National Museum

A massive fire destroyed Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum on Sunday, September 2, along with the countless irreplaceable artifacts it contained.Brazilian President Michel Temer tweeted that the damage represented an “incalculable” loss for the country.Globo said that no one was hurt in the blaze, which broke out at around 7.30 pm on Sunday evening. However, most of the museum’s 20 million items had been “totally destroyed,” Globo said.A number of commentators linked the fire to inadequate funding and facilities at the museum, amid steep cuts in public spending.Marcelo Freixo, a historian turned politician, tweeted that the government had refused to take care of Brazil’s heritage. A lack of “investment in culture and public assets has dramatic consequences,” he said. Credit: Regner Lima de Sousa via Storyful