HERMOSILLO (El Universal).— The smell of smoke and sadness still floats through the streets of downtown Hermosillo. Amid the blackened remains of what was once a Waldo’s store, life stopped for dozens of families. Among them, that of Joela young man who lost his pregnant wife in the tragedy of last November 1, when an explosion followed by a fire took the lives of 23 people and left 12 more injured.
“The love of my life, so many moments together… and a damn accident took your life away from you along with our baby. It was together for life, my love, as I had promised you. Forgive me for not being able to save you… You were, are and always will be the love of my life. Rest in peace, my beautiful queen,” Joel wrote on his social networks on the night of the accident.
His words, full of pain, quickly spread throughout Hermosillo, becoming a symbol of collective mourning. The entire city felt the weight of that farewell. Not only those who knew the couple, but hundreds of strangers who, upon reading it, felt the pang of another’s loss.
Fire at Waldo’s in Sonora
It was 3:09 in the afternoon when the silence of the Center was broken. First, a blackout. Then, a drop in light. And immediately, the explosion. The explosion shook the windows of neighboring businesses and unleashed hell.
Hugo Candiani, owner of a cafeteria a few meters from the place, remembers the previous seconds. “It all started with a blackout. In thirty seconds the light came back on, but then another dip came and it exploded. The explosion went up, not down. The cars started thundering, people ran, screaming… It was total chaos“, he says with a broken voice. He knows by sight several of the young employees who worked there.
“They were clients of mine, girls between 19 and 25 years old. They ate here, they talked. Very good people. Bad, very bad I feel. Terrible,” he manages to say while observing, from the sidewalk, the premises consumed by the fire. The first reports indicate that most of the victims died from inhalation of toxic gases, as they were trapped inside the premises with no possibility of escape.
Some witnesses claim that the explosion came from a transformer or an internal electrical system. The fire spread within minutes, and cars parked in front of the store also began to burn. Despite the quick response of the emergency services—who arrived in less than 15 minutes, according to witnesses—the fire consumed the property with devastating speed.
The Secretary of the Government of Sonora, Adolfo Salazar Razo, confirmed the next day that the store did not have an authorized Civil Protection program since 2021.
“In 2021, already in this administration, the internal Civil Protection program was concluded in a negative sense. Each of the procedures and permits is being reviewed and is part of the Prosecutor’s Office investigation,” he explained. The data caused outrage among merchants and citizens, who now demand responsibilities.
The State Attorney General’s Office ruled out that the fire was intentional, although it keeps all lines of investigation open.
Governor Alfonso Durazo promised comprehensive attention to the victims and their families. “We are going to reach the final consequences. This tragedy cannot be repeated,” he declared.
In the hours that followed, social networks became a refuge for collective tears. Dozens of users shared photographs, memories and farewell messages for the victims whose identity was revealed as the hours passed.