By Rodrigo Viga Gaier and Isabel Teles
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 8 (Reuters) – A fire at the velodrome in Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Park was brought under control early on Wednesday, with no risk of it spreading to other parts of the complex and no injuries reported, fire officials said.
Fire crews were called to the scene at 4:17 a.m. (0717 GMT), and around 80 firefighters and 20 fire trucks tackled the blaze, the state’s military fire department said in a statement, adding that no one was hurt.
The velodrome was built for the 2016 Rio Olympics and is administered by the city government. It houses the Olympic Museum, which features exhibits and historical artifacts from the Games, including the Olympic torch and medals.
Firefighters were battling the blaze both inside and outside the building and working to protect artifacts at the Olympic Museum that were at risk, Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras said in an interview with CNN Brasil.
Forensic experts were assessing the extent of the damage after the blaze reached the canvas ceiling of the velodrome and spread, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere told journalists.
“The velodrome and the Olympic Museum were barely affected by the fire,” he said.
The velodrome is Brazil’s largest and most prominent track cycling center, and serves as a training base for the national weightlifting and cycling teams.
In 2017, its roof was struck by two fires, causing minor damage.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro and Isabel Teles in Sao Paulo; Editing by Ed Osmond and Bernadette Baum)
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