Journalism of Courage
At least 23 people, including children, were killed after a fire broke out at a discount store in the northwestern Mexican city of Hermosillo on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing the Governor of Mexico’s Sonora state. Eleven others were injured and are being treated in hospitals across the city, according to CNN.
The fire started at a branch of the Waldo’s general store chain in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora state, Governor Alfonso Durazo said in a video statement on social media. He described the tragedy as one that “has left a deep sadness among all the people of Sonora”. Local broadcaster Uniradio Sonora, citing Carlos Freaner, president of the Mexican Red Cross, reported that the victims included 12 women, five men, four boys, and two girls.
Authorities said the cause of the fire is being probed.
The Sonora Public Security Secretariat stated on X that there was no evidence the blaze was caused by an arson attack or any intentional act of violence.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed condolences to the victims’ families. “My heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” she wrote on X. She said she had instructed Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez to send a support team to assist the families and the injured.
Hermosillo Mayor Antonio Astiazarán also confirmed that there were multiple casualties.
Emergency services remain at the scene as investigators work to determine what triggered the blaze.
(With inputs from Reuters and CNN)
