Could the massive fire at the 25 de Março Shopping Center have been prevented with Intelligent Predictive Monitoring?

A massive fire hit Shopping 25 de Março, in Brás, downtown São Paulo, on Wednesday morning (30), leaving a trail of destruction and highlighting once again the urgent need for modernization in fire prevention systems in shopping centers. The incident, which started around 6:40 am on the second floor of the building, consumed approximately 200 small shops in an area of ​​18,000 square meters.

The flames spread rapidly, requiring the mobilization of 29 vehicles and 76 firefighters to combat the blaze, which was only brought under control after six hours of intense work. Three people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, and the shopping mall's roof collapsed, causing incalculable losses to shopkeepers and owners.

The Causes of the Fire: A Worrying Pattern of Negligence

Preliminary investigations point to a combination of factors that contributed to this tragedy. The main one is the lack of adequate documentation – the Fire Department Inspection Certificate (AVCB) for the shopping mall had expired in August. Furthermore, in 2022, engineers from the Department of Control of Property Use (Contru) had already found that the automatic sprinklers and the fire door system in the mall were not functioning properly.

Reports from shopkeepers indicate that the mall had experienced a power outage the afternoon before the incident, although Enel denied any record of a power failure at the location. This inconsistency in information suggests possible problems in the building's electrical infrastructure, one of the main risk factors for fires in commercial establishments, according to information from G1 .

How Intelligent Predictive Monitoring Could Have Prevented the Tragedy

Carlos Porto, Applications Manager at Above-Net and specialist in fire prevention services management, is emphatic in his assessment of the incident: “As a specialist, I can affirm that prevention through intelligent monitoring is the most effective way to protect lives and property. Predictive monitoring is not just a technology, but an urgent necessity for modern security in commercial establishments.”

Many smaller-scale incidents frequently occur in buildings and cause significant damage to property. While an efficient fire suppression system can prevent a tragedy, it still results in considerable losses, whether from fire, smoke, water firefighting, or even lost profits.

Indeed, the incident at the 25 de Março Shopping Center is a clear and extreme example of how traditional fire prevention systems, when not properly monitored, can fail at critical moments. The implementation of an intelligent predictive monitoring system based on Industrial IoT could have identified and alerted to several risk factors before they escalated into a tragedy

1. Monitoring of Electrical Infrastructure:
   • Continuous detection of overloads and anomalies in the electrical network
   • Identifying hot spots in busbars and ducts
   • Real-time monitoring of energy consumption and demand
2. Firefighting Systems Supervision:
   • Monitoring of line and sprinkler pressure
   • Continuous monitoring of reservoir levels
   • Monitoring the operational status of fire pumps
3. Environmental Control:
   • Constant temperature monitoring in critical areas
   • Early smoke detection
   • Real-time air quality analysis

Bridgemeter: The Ultimate Solution in Intelligent Fire Prevention

Above Above-Net has been intensely dedicated to developing solutions that can prevent tragedies like this. Marcelo Ramos, CEO and Founder of the company, explains: “ Bridgemeter was developed precisely to prevent tragedies like this. Our Industrial IoT technology allows us to identify and alert about potential risks long before they turn into critical incidents. It's not just about monitoring, but about predictive intelligence that saves lives.”

Bridgemeter represents a revolution in fire prevention for critical infrastructure. This Industrial IoT platform offers continuous 24/7 monitoring and real-time predictive analytics, enabling the early identification of potential risks before they turn into tragedies.

Holistic View of Real-Time Operation

The Bridgemeter is designed to integrate various sensors and equipment, allowing for continuous monitoring of operational conditions. This includes detecting smoke, elevated temperatures, and other indicators that may signal an impending fire. With real-time alerts, the security team could have been proactively notified of any anomalies, enabling a rapid response.

Predictive Analytics

Through advanced algorithms, Bridgemeter performs predictive analyses and identifies trends that precede failures or incidents. With this technology, it would be possible to predict risky situations before they become critical, allowing for preventative interventions.

Interoperability

The Bridgemeter system allows integration with other platforms and devices already existing in the shopping mall, such as alarm and access control systems. This interoperability would increase the effectiveness of monitoring and emergency response.

In summary, the main features of the Bridgemeter that could have prevented the incident include:

• Continuous Thermal Monitoring: Strategically positioned sensors monitor the temperature of power busbars and environments, identifying overloads and anomalies before they reach critical levels.
• Predictive Analytics: Advanced algorithms analyze patterns and trends, identifying potential risks before they manifest.
• Proactive Real-Time Alerts: Instant notifications are sent to the responsible teams when abnormal conditions are detected.
• Integrated Management: A single interface for monitoring multiple critical systems, including power, fire suppression, and cooling.
• Digital Documentation: Plant management, diagrams, installations, certifications, licenses, and preventive maintenance.

Conclusion

The fire at Shopping 25 de Março serves as a stark warning about the need to modernize fire prevention systems in commercial establishments. Implementing intelligent predictive monitoring solutions, such as Above-Net's Bridgemeter, is not just a matter of compliance, but a vital necessity for protecting lives and property.

In a scenario where continuously increasing demand intensifies the risks of structural fires, with ever-higher temperatures and increasingly overloaded electrical systems, the adoption of intelligent preventive technologies becomes imperative.

Bridgemeter represents not just a technological evolution, but a fundamental shift in how we approach security in critical infrastructure, offering an additional layer of protection that could have prevented this and many other similar tragedies.