At least 22 people died following an explosion and a fire at a Waldos store located in the downtown area of Hermosillo, Sonora, the Sonoran newspaper El Imparcial reports.
The State Civil Protection Coordination of Sonora confirmed the fire that occurred in downtown Hermosillo, without specifying the number of fatalities or the total number of injured. El Imparcial states that among the deceased are six men, nine women, and seven minors.
The state media also claims that prior to the fire that consumed the entire store, there was an explosion inside the building located on Doctor Noriega Street in Hermosillo. Meanwhile, Sonora Civil Protection requested that people avoid the area to allow emergency vehicles to operate.
«Due to the attention of firefighters, security bodies, and rescue units who are fighting a fire at a commercial establishment located on Doctor Noriega Street, in the Center of Hermosillo, it is requested that the public avoid the area and facilitate the access of emergency vehicles to allow the control of the disaster,» Civil Protection stated.
According to data collected by El Imparcial, the alleged explosion in the store occurred around 3 in the afternoon and the fire quickly spread to the rest of the building. Meanwhile, the Hermosillo City Council, Sonora, issued a statement indicating that the fire had been brought under control.
The state Prosecutor's Office informed that it will carry out expert examinations to determine the probable causes of the disaster, while the Sonora Security Secretariat ruled out that the incident was the product of an attack or an event orchestrated by organized crime.
