Circus Fire Niteroi 1961

At 17th of December of 1961, hundreds of families in Rio de Janeiro´s state municipality Niterói where looking forward a visit to the “Gran Circus Norte - Americano“, an attraction which was established at Niteroi for a couple of days. But what should be a Sunday afternoon diversion turned out to be one of the biggest fires in history in terms of fatal victims. The canvas catched fire and burned down within a few minutes, burying a wide part of the 2500 visitors below. The injured were brought to Antônio Pedro Hospital in Niterói. Doctors, nurses and plastic surgeons hurried to help as quickly as they could; this was the beginning of restoring plastic surgery in Brazil. After a week, the number of fatal victims reached 400, if there hadn´t been the elephants panicking and breaking through the canvas, much more people would have died.

Officials declared that it was fire-raising, finally, three men were arrested, but the true reason was never discovered.

Luis Gomes was 22 when he went to the circus together with his 32 year old fiancee.He ran outside in panic, when he decided to go back to rescue his fiancee, he entangled himself in the steel cable. He stayed 2 years in a hospital, his fiancee had died.

Part of the victims where burried at cemetery Maruii, near Niteroi. As most of them had not been identified, the graves have no names, but numbers.

Ivo Pitanguy conducted a team of plastic surgeoans who treated the victims, some of them for years. Afterwards, he became the world’s most famous plastic surgeon.

Cemetery Sao Miguel was part of a private large estate and disappropriated in a hurry in order to get a place for the death. The victimas where burried in a mass grave, the actual cemitery was build above the mass grave later.

Edenir was 6 years old and lost her mother and her sister in the fire. She never entered into a circus again, but both daughters attended a circus school and work as professional artists.

A homeless, who lived at the square of the accident, witnessed the fire and got lunatic afterwards. He started writing all over Rio “Kindness generates kindness” and became famous as the “Prophet of Kindness”.

Doctor Caldas was celebrating his medical degree at a cerimony in Petropolis, Rios mountain region. When he heard about the accident, he hurried directly from the ball to Niteroi in order to help the staff of Dr.Ivo Pitanguy to rescue the victims.

Joao was a 17 year old boy and wantet to go to the circus, but could t because he hat no money. He works in the administration of the military hospital for 43 years.

Lenir Queiroz lost her husband and her 2 little children, she has married with 21 and became a widow with 24. After spending a long time in a rehabilitation center, she kept working there as a stenotypist for her whole life.

The big top of the circus was was at the Praca dos Expedicionarios, today the place is the parking square of the Military Policlinic. No statue or memorial remembers the accident.

Part of the victims where burried at cemetery Marui, near Niteroi. As most of them had not been identified, the graves have no names, but numbers.

Maria Pimenta had only one hand crippled and workes as a sewer. Her catholic religion makes her overcoming the tragedy.