A fire in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo has destroyed parts of a historic 19th Century railway
station housing a popular museum.

The museum, which documents the history of the Portuguese Language, was severely damaged.

The blaze destroyed the roof of the “Station of Light” which was originally built by the British.

The Luz railway station, Sao Paulo, Brazil

It was constructed in 1901 during the coffee boom to transport the beans to the Atlantic port of Santos.

One fireman was killed in the enormous blaze which raged unchecked for hours despite a heavy downpour.

The suburban railway line next to the burning building was closed for safety.

The “Station of Light” was named after the neighbourhood it was built in.

It was designed and built in 1901 by a prominent British railway station architect, Charles Henry
Driver.

With its railway clock tower and its classic steel arched roof it was thought to have been modelled
on British railway stations of the same period.

However, some historians say it was inspired by Finders Street station in the Australian city of
Melbourne.

Interior parts of the Luz railway station