Tepito is a barrio located in Colonia Morelos in the Cuauhtémoc district of Mexico City. It is bordered by Avenida del Trabajo, Paseo de la Reforma, Eje 1 and Eje 2. Most of the neighborhood is taken up by the colorful Tianguis, a traditional open-air market. Tepito is famously known as the “Barrio Bravo” or “fierce neighborhood”, due to the fact that residents are pretty violent.
At dawn on Tuesday, April 27, a strong fire was reported in at least 8 external stores located in the Tepito Market, causing the arrival of firefighters who, after several hours, smothered the flames.
⚠️Último minuto⚠️: Desconocidos le prendieron fuego a varios puestos de comerciantes ambulantes en Tepito. Bomberos controlaron las llamas que amenazaban con propagarse por todo el lugar. La policía analiza cámaras de videovigilancia para tratar de identificar a los responsables. pic.twitter.com/mPYo97cQEu
— Isidro Corro (@isidrocorro) April 27, 2021
Suspected unknown individuals allegedly set fire to 8 stores in Tepito, as part of a gang rivalry for the control of the area where drug dealing is one of the main illegal activities.
The events were reported at approximately 4:00 a.m. when, allegedly, a group of unknown persons went to the scene and set fire to eight businesses located on Libertad Street in the Morelos neighborhood, causing a strong police and fire department mobilization.
A few minutes passed after the accident when the strong smoke had already awakened the residents, who requested help from the authorities before the flames of the fire spread throughout the area.
Agents of the Fire and Civil Protection Corps arrived at the scene and began to work to control the flames of the street stalls and thus quell the fire.
Due to the work to put out the fire, Jesús Carranza street was closed to traffic for several hours to avoid further incidents.
So far the motive for the fire is unknown and according to preliminary information, the authorities in the area are already reviewing the security cameras to find the people who allegedly started the fire among the premises before fleeing into the streets of Tepito.
Source: ADN 40
