Gebalis, the company responsible for managing Lisbon's municipal neighborhoods, regretted the "tragic" fire that resulted in the death of a person in the early hours of Monday, in Beato.

"In light of the fire that occurred in the early hours of today in a house on Rua Fábrica das Moagens, where two residents lived, one of whom was a fatal victim of the fire, Gebalis regrets the tragic event, extends its deepest condolences to the family and the community, and expresses the full availability of its teams to support the family," reads a statement sent to newsrooms.

In the same missive, Gebalis explains that "this support will be coordinated by the Local Intervention Office with the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa and the Beato Parish Council" and that, at the same time, "diligences are being carried out to provide housing to transfer the resident, who will temporarily stay in the home of relatives".

"The competent authorities are investigating the causes of the fire," says the municipal company, informing that "the Bairro Carlos Botelho will be subject to a major intervention, due to the Rehabilitation Plans scheduled for 2024".

"The rehabilitation works of the common areas of the building are being prepared, within the scope of the MORAR MELHOR – Beato Program, covering 20 buildings with 271 fractions, which is expected to start in the third quarter of 2024. Since 2022, the Lisbon City Council and Gebalis have started housing recovery processes in the aforementioned neighborhood, with 24 vacant fractions having been rehabilitated in 2023," concluded the company.

A source from the Lisbon Firefighters Regiment indicated this morning that the fire occurred on the fifth floor of a nine-story building on Rua Fábrica da Moagem, in the parish of Beato, with the alert having been given at 06:10.

The municipal Civil Protection stressed that the cause of the fire is still unknown, and the case has been handed over to the Judiciary Police, as it is the competent authority for the investigation.

Operational resources from the Firefighters Regiment, the Beato Firefighters, the PSP, the Municipal Police, the INEM, and the Municipal Civil Protection Service were on site.

According to the website of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, at 1:30 pm the fire was concluding, still involving 31 personnel and 11 vehicles.

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