The most decisive minutes of Xuxa's life: that's how the moments leading up to the fire that destroyed the Xuxa Park set on January 11, 2001, at Globo Studios in Rio de Janeiro can be defined. The presenter narrowly avoided entering the spaceship where the fire started. The fire left 26 injured, some in serious condition.
Aired on Saturday mornings, Xuxa Park premiered on June 4, 1994, marking the return of the presenter to the children's segment. Before that, she hosted Xou da Xuxa from 1986 to 1992 and the Xuxa program in 1993, which was aimed at the whole family.
A new attraction featured games, musical numbers, and cartoons and included the presence of children in the studio audience.
On January 11, 2001, the program that would be aired on February 24, Carnival Saturday, was recorded. Everything was going well until near the end of the show. There were only five minutes left for Xuxa to enter the spaceship, a traditional act that closed the program.
However, while singing her biggest hit, Ilariê, a short circuit caused a fire that quickly spread through the environment, made up of highly flammable material.
In the only video that remains of the incident, shown on the Jornal Nacional of the same day, it is noticeable that the paquitas and some children start running while Xuxa is still singing. Soon after, the firefighters begin their work with extinguishers. The presenter then realizes what is happening and runs, calling everyone around her.
Panic sets in the studio, where about 300 people were present, 200 of them children – the rest were production team members, technicians, and guardians of the minors. At the time, the police reported that the venue was over capacity.
Then director of Xuxa Park, Paulo Netto was categorical in defining the situation, in an interview with Istoé Gente magazine on January 22 of that year. 'Five more minutes and she would have died,' he emphasized. 'The set material is highly flammable. I've never seen the fire catch so quickly,' he added.
reproduction/globo
Image of the moment when the spaceship from the Xuxa Park set caught fire at Globo Studios
Injuries and trauma
The presenter escaped physically unharmed, but suffered various psychological traumas. She was shaken to see that 26 people were injured, seven of them seriously. 'Since the incident, Xuxa has been downcast, crying constantly, and unable to sleep properly,' the report explained. The presenter also visited several patients in hospitals and prayed a lot, according to the text.
The most severe cases were of seven-year-old Thamires Gomes Valleja, who was on the Ferris wheel near the scenic ship and suffered second and third-degree burns, being the last to be rescued.
The girl was saved by Leonilson de Oliveira, who was Xuxa's security guard and was a true hero in the episode, rescuing several children. However, he ended up with almost 100% of his airways compromised. After a long treatment, funded by the broadcaster, everyone fully recovered.
Even with eight unreleased episodes recorded, Xuxa Park never returned to the air, out of respect for the victims, according to the broadcaster.
The last program aired was the week before the incident, on January 6, 2001, which showed a celebration of Three Kings' Day. Instead, Globo improvised the Cartoon Festival. Xuxa returned to the studios only three months after the incident, in April of that year, to host the penultimate season of #Planeta Xuxa (1997-2002).
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