On November 1, two years passed since the fire that consumed part of the José Peón Contreras theater’s facilities and led to its closure. No date has been established for the conclusion of the rescue and preservation work on the property.
On November 1, 2022, around four in the afternoon, the fire began in the city’s emblematic theater, which mobilized several fire trucks, ambulances, and police to control the fire, attend to the possible injuries and protect the area.
Fortunately, the fire caused no human losses or injuries, although the property suffered severe damage.
Although the fire had already been controlled an hour after starting, the damage to the century-old theater was inevitable.
At the time it was announced that the most affected parts were the central dome, the third level of stalls, where the audio booth is located, the corridors on the right side of the booth, and several lamps that hang over the vestibule or lobby main theater.
The authorities on duty determined that the cause of the fire was a short circuit.
In the following days, the damage was recorded by several experts, something necessary before the federal or local authorities began the rescue work on the property.
However, as it is an iconic building of the city, with a historical character, the intervention of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) was required, which to date is in charge of the rescue works of the property.
The process from the beginning was slow. The work to correct the damages recorded did not begin until several months later, and two years later they are still not finished.
With the closure of the José Peón Contreras Theater, there were changes, as several projects that had a presentation date at the site had to be canceled.
Without a doubt, one of the most affected artistic institutions was and is the Yucatán Symphony Orchestra (0SY), which until before the fire had held its concerts there.
Several of the concerts they had scheduled had to be canceled, and it took several days before they were allowed to enter the building to remove all the administrative material, as well as sheet music that was kept in the place and which fortunately was not damaged.
The OSY was received as a guest at the Palacio de la Música, a venue that has less than half the capacity of the Peón Contreras, something that therefore reduces the group’s resources in terms of box office.
TYT Newsroom
The post Slow rescue after the Peón Contreras Theater fire first appeared on The Yucatan Times.