Explosion and fire at convenience store kills at least 23 in northern Mexico

A fire and explosion at a convenience store in northern Mexico on Saturday killed at least 23 people, including children, and injured 12 others, local officials said.

The fire occurred in downtown Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora state, Gov. Alfonso Durazo said in a video posted on social media.

“Sadly, a number of the victims we’ve found were minors,” he said, adding that the people injured were taken to local hospitals in Hermosillo.

“I have ordered an extensive and transparent investigation to determine the causes of the incident and figure out those responsible,” Durazo said.

Sonora Attorney General Gustavo Salas Chávez said preliminary investigations showed the deaths were caused by “inhalation of toxic gases,” the Associated Press reported.

“At this time, we have no indication that leads us to presume the fire was intentional,” he said, noting authorities had not ruled out any line of investigation.

Images circulating on social media show a massive fire engulfing the Waldo’s store. One video showed a burned man collapsing onto the asphalt a few yards from the store entrance.

“Nobody will face this pain alone. From the very first moments, emergency, security and health services responded with great professionalism and commitment, controlling the situation and saving lives,” Durazo said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences on socia media “to the families and loved ones of those who died.”

“I have been in contact with the Sonora governor, Alfonso Durazo, to provide support where needed. I’ve instructed Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez to send a support team in order to assist the families and the injured,” she continued.

Mexican media reports said customers sought refuge inside the store after the explosion, only to become trapped by the flames.

Newspaper El Universal said the explosion occurred around 2:00 p.m. and that nearby businesses opted to close their doors to prevent the fire from spreading there.

Local authorities urged members of the public to avoid the area of the explosion, and canceled celebrations scheduled to be held that day in honor of the Day of the Dead holiday.