Irregular Penha Building Collapses, Killing Six

Overview

• A multi‑storey structure in Penha, East São Paulo, collapsed over the weekend, leaving six people dead and several bodies pending release, with rescue and forensic teams still working at the site.
• Justice issued temporary arrest orders for three people linked to New Home Construtora; Ronaldo Vivacqua was detained while engineer Cristiano Vivacqua and Isis Brandão remain at large as police probe possible 'hidden partner' roles.
• The city Controladoria‑Geral do Município has embargoed all works tied to the companies involved and suspended related permit requests while a municipal inspector who signed a 2024 demolition report has been afastada for 120 days pending inquiry.
• Separate public‑safety incidents across Brazil and the border region increased demand on emergency services, including a deadly apartment fire in Campinas that killed a 3‑year‑old and led to the mothers' arrest, multiple commercial and vegetation fires in Belém and Teresina, and a market blaze in Ciudad del Este linked to welding work.
• Officials note a long record of irregularities at the Penha site—permits granted in 2023 were conditional on demolishing an existing structure that satellite checks and residents say was never removed—and investigators say forensic engineering and police pericia will determine structural causes and legal responsibility.