Civil Protection says the building in Muraria was structurally undamaged after the fire.

The building in Lisbon’s Muraria, where a fire broke out Saturday night, was “structurally unaffected” but without electricity and gas, so “it does not meet living conditions,” Civil said on Monday.

“The building was not structurally damaged. […]. At the moment, it has no living conditions because it has neither electricity nor gas infrastructure,” Carlos López Loureiro of the Lisbon Municipal Civil Protection Service said in statements to journalists next to this building in Muraria after verification work was completed.

On Saturday evening, a fire broke out in this building on Rua do Terreirinho, which killed two Indian citizens and injured 14, all of whom have already been discharged from the hospital.

“Until these infrastructures are restored, there are no conditions for living, so the owners must now quickly promote these works so that people can safely return to their homes, with the exception of the right first floor, where there was a fire,” said the head of Civil Protection.

Regarding the need to relocate the residents of the property, Carlos López Loureiro said that monitoring is underway and that “an emergency accommodation is guaranteed by Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa”, an institution that will be informed of the findings of the inspection, so that people continue to be supported.

“We have also informed the owners, who are primarily responsible for the people who rent these houses,” he said.

Regarding the causes of the fire, the spokesman said that he had no such information and said that the Judicial Police were investigating.

Asked how many people live on the ground floor where the fire broke out, Carlos López Loureiro clarified that the originally claimed number of around 20 people “has not yet been confirmed.”

“We do not have such a total number of identified people. We don’t know if there are eventually some people who haven’t shown up yet,” he said.

Even on the first floor – a warehouse that was used for housing – the Civil Protection assured that “this house will not be marked”, that is, the public service “does not have a presence in this building.”

Regarding the problem of overcrowding, Carlos López Loureiro said that “the number of people living in this area” in the Muraria area is well known, noting that “not all of them are in such conditions” of lack of decent housing.

According to information provided by the authorities over the weekend, the fire in this building, which was mainly inhabited by Indian citizens, affected 25 people, including 24 residents and one non-resident, left 22 people homeless, and also claimed the lives of two Indians. citizens, one of whom is a 14-year-old boy.

According to the director of the municipal civil protection service, Margarida Castro Martins, “13 people were relocated” Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa to a boarding house in the city, while the rest found a solution on their own.

“Santa Casa is providing emergency accommodation and they will now be helped to find out if they are eligible and for what type of support,” the official said Monday morning, adding that the High Commission for Migration is monitoring the process.

Over the weekend, the Lisbon Civil Protection Service confirmed that two Belgians, two Argentines, two Portuguese, three Bengalis and 15 Indians were living in the building.

According to the fire regiment, the fire was signaled on Saturday at 20:37, and at 21:15 the fire was declared extinguished.

The flames only reached the first floor of the building.

Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas was there on Saturday evening and assured that all displaced people would be supported, mourning the loss of two people.

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, spoke to Carlos Moedas the same night to inquire about the situation and also expressed his regret at the loss of life.