Fire engulfs 200-year-old museum in Rio

Brazil’s National Museum lit up the night sky in Rio de Janeiro Sunday, as flames engulfed the 200-year-old facility filled with historical relics. Firefighters and museum workers were able to save some of the artifacts, which included collections related to the history of Brazil as well as pieces from Egypt, Greco-Roman art, and some of the earliest fossils found in Brazil.

The museum, which is part of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, was closed to the public at the time of the fire and there were no reports of injuries. By midnight the blaze was “just about under control,” according to a fire department spokesman, who said firefighters got off to a slow start because the two hydrants closest to the museum weren’t functioning and water had to be pulled from a nearby lake.