Guayaquil Firefighters Fight Warehouse Blaze Exceeding 600°C

Thermal cameras registered interior temperatures soaring past 600 degrees Celsius inside a downtown Guayaquil building on Tuesday afternoon, October 20, 2026, forcing roughly one hundred firefighters to abandon direct interior entry in favor of defensive tactics.

The third-alarm blaze erupted on Chimborazo Street, positioned between Colón and Sucre. Heavy volumes of stored merchandise fueled the rapid spread, as flames chewed through inventory stacked tightly on shelving units that consisted primarily of plastic goods and bicycle accessories. The affected area featured a considerable extension and contained materials that significantly hindered the extinguishment tasks.

Escalating Smoke Draws Emergency Response

Street vendors working in the immediate vicinity watched the emergency unfold from the pavement. Cristóbal Puná, operating nearby, observed a small, initial volume of smoke emerging from the property before the density escalated rapidly into a heavy black column. Ahí estaba saliendo humo despacito, pero después, poco a poco, ya iba saliendo bastante humo negro, he recounted. The sudden shift prompted alarmed bystanders to clear the thoroughfares by moving parked vehicles out of the way to secure unobstructed access for incoming emergency equipment.

The Cuerpo de Bomberos de Guayaquil initially mobilized five combat units to the scene. That rapid deployment included a rescue vehicle, an extension ladder truck, and an air equipment recharging unit as the scale of the warehouse fire quickly necessitated a third-alarm response.

Tactical Shifts Under Extreme Heat

Extreme conditions on the ground floor closed off immediate interior entry. Polo Terán, lieutenant colonel of the Guayaquil Fire Department, explained that thermal imaging cameras recorded interior heat levels surpassing 600 degrees Celsius. La temperatura estaba muy alta: estaba sobre los 600 grados de lo que marcaron nuestras cámaras térmicas, the officer stated. These readings forced a necessary tactical shift, compelling crews to initiate an external attack first before cutting holes in the structure’s sides to track down persistent combustion zones.

Roughly ten firefighters eventually operated inside the building across three active fire zones. Simultaneously, seven additional personnel worked from a neighboring structure to halt any lateral spread. Terán noted that crews successfully contained the fire within a specific room and floor, preventing the flames from transitioning to upper levels, lower levels, or adjacent properties. Ahorita lo tenemos, como se dice vulgarmente, encerrado en ese cuarto, en ese piso, controlando que no se propague a pisos de arriba, de abajo o edificios laterales, he declared while attending to the ongoing emergency.

Controlled Water Application Prevents Steam Burns

Managing the blaze required precise operational control to protect the frontline crews. Once personnel entered the structure, firefighters carefully regulated water application from the exterior. This measured approach was critical to prevent the sudden generation of superheated steam that could cause severe burns to operators inside. The officer also addressed the security conditions that warehouses must fulfill, particularly when storing combustible products.

Unresolved Safety Questions and Next Steps

However, significant questions regarding the property remain unanswered. Officials have not yet established the identity of the property owner, nor have they verified the operating licenses or safety conditions of the warehouse.

Once suppression operations completely conclude, specialized inspection teams will step in to investigate the precise origin of the fire and evaluate structural safety compliance.