Millions Of Historical Artifacts Lost In Fire At Rio's National Museum

A massive fire tore through the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday night destroying millions of irreplaceable artifacts that were held inside. The fire broke out just after the museum had closed on Sunday night and nobody was injured in the blaze.

Firefighters worked all night to get the flames under control and save as many of the priceless artifacts as they could. Fire department spokesman Roberto Robadey said that museum staff braved the flames and worked with firefighters "to remove a lot of things from inside."  

Brazil's President, Michel Temer, called the fire 'a sad day for all Brazilians.'

'Unforgettable for Brazil is the loss of the collection of the National Museum. 200 years of work, research and knowledge have been lost. The value of our history can not be measured by the damage to the building that housed the royal family during the Empire. It's a sad day for all Brazilians.'

Authorities have not determined what caused the fire, but the vice director of the museum, Luiz Fernando Dias Duarte, said the museum suffered from a lack of funding from the government. 

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