Thick black smoke covered the sky this Thursday over part of Culiacán, a city in Sinaloa, a region in the northwest of Mexico controlled by cartels, cradle of drug trafficker El Chapo. Impressive flames ravaged the Royal Yak casino, the country’s famous chain of gaming establishments.
The fire broke out late in the morning, in a trampoline park located right next door, while workers were making repairs, according to initial information communicated by the authorities. The workers first tried to extinguish the fire themselves, without success: the flames became uncontrollable.
Hitting the casino, the fire consumed the building until its structure collapsed. A 39-year-old man was rushed to an area hospital with burns to his hands and back. Two people in shock were treated on site by paramedics. The surrounding buildings, including a nursery, were evacuated.
The criminal trail would have been ruled out at this stage: the fire would have been caused by a short circuit detected on the site, according to the director of civil protection, Roy Navarrete. Expertise is underway to determine the origin of the incident.
