Brazil police finish investigation into National Museum fire

Brazil's Federal Police on Monday wrapped up an investigation into a 2018 fire at National Museum in Rio de Janeiro that destroyed much of its 20-million-artefact collection and ruled out any criminal offence.

blaze in former palace likely started with an air conditioning unit inside an auditorium near front entrance, according to a statement from police. Arson was ruled out.

police also said museum directors' conduct did t constitute neglect, given efforts underway to bring building up to fire code. It was more than two centuries old.

National Museum housed furniture and art belonging to royal family, recordings of Indigeus langus — some of which are longer spoken — priceless specimens of everything from rare butterflies to coral and a collection of Egyptian mummies and artifacts considered largest in Latin America.

Some artifacts have been recovered, tably most fragments of a skull belonging to a woman dubbed Luzia. It is one of oldest human fossils ever found in Americas, and was a top museum treasure.

building was once a royal palace that served as seat of united Portuguese and Brazilian empire before museum’s collection was transferred re in 1892. Today colonial-era face is a burned-out shell that is fenced off for reconstruction.

Following an inspection by Rio’s firefighting corps, National Museum began negotiating a deal with Rio-based development bank BNDES to revate building and upgre its fire-prevention system. loan agreement was signed in June 2018, but funds hn’t yet been disbursed when fire occurred in September.

fire represented a gut punch for many Brazilians, who felt incident laid bare decay of cultural institutions during years of corruption, ecomic collapse and poor governance. education ministry and science and techlogy ministry have since directed millions to museum for emergency and recovery works. Companies and individuals have also donated.

Last month, part of Federal University of Minas Gerais’ Natural History Museum also burned down.

"We cant — and should t — igre ar situation like this, especially taking into account tragic fire of National Museum,″ latter institution's director, Alexander Kellner, said in a statement posted to Facebook at time.