Arson ruled out in blaze that razed Brazil museum

Brazil’s Federal Police on Monday wrapped up an investigation into a 2018 fire at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro that destroyed much of its 20-million-artifact collection, ruling out any criminal offense.

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

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

The National Museum housed furniture and art belonging to the royal family, recordings of Indigenous languages — some of which are no longer spoken — priceless specimens of everything from rare butterflies to coral and a collection of Egyptian mummies and artifacts considered the largest in Latin America.

Some artifacts have been recovered, notably most fragments of a skull belonging to a woman dubbed Luzia.

It is one of the oldest human fossils ever found in the Americas.

The building was once a royal palace that served as the seat of the united Portuguese and Brazilian empire before the museum’s collection was transferred there in 1892.