By Jesús Aguado
In the early dawn hours of December 12, just before its 30th anniversary, the San Miguel shoe factory El Botín Rojo was consumed by a fire that caused a total loss. The cause of the fire has not been officially disclosed.
At around 1am on December 12, a call from the shoe factory in Colonia Allende went out to 911 about a fire. Coordination between local authorities and firefighters from Dolores, San Miguel, Comonfort, Celaya, and San José Iturbide was required. It is estimated that the fire consumed 50 tons of shoes.
The mayor of the city was present at the scene in the morning supervising the work. He reported that two houses had collapsed as a result, and two more would most likely collapse. Work to extinguish the flames lasted more than a dozen hours, followed by removal of debris.
Later, the same day, the mayor confirmed that there were no loss of lives because the emergency forces acted in time evicting 200 people from the neighborhood, thereby registering no further damage. He also expressed his appreciation and pride for a job well done. He said that the firefighters prioritized the safety of the people, without regard for the time during which the fire occurred. “It was a top performance during this tragedy, fortunately there was only material damage, the shoe factory building collapsed. They managed to remove the tanks and this prevented a major spread. I am very proud of the team we have formed. My recognition goes to public safety, which includes Traffic, Municipal Police and Civil Protection. Congratulations to all of them. I am very proud of this effort,» said the mayor.
