Huge warehouse fire wrecks Rio’s famous carnival

RIO DE JANEIRO’S world-famed Carnival went up in flames yesterday for thousands of people who spent nearly a year preparing for the spectacular event.

Seamstresses, set designers and musicians watched in tears as firefighters struggled to control a blaze that raged through warehouses holding many of the elaborate costumes and floats they had assembled for this year’s samba parade.

With just a month left before the March 6 start of the competition, there is no way to fully replace them.