Homeless shelter set on fire in southeast Brazil, killing 4

SAO PAULO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and several others injured after a homeless shelter was set on fire early Monday in downtown Sao Jose dos Campos, a city in southeast Brazil's Sao Paulo state, local authorities said.

According to the Sao Jose dos Campos Police, a 42-year-old man was arrested on the spot after setting fire to a sofa, whose flames then spread throughout the building.

The shelter housed about 20 people at the time, police said, adding the fatal victims included two men and two women between the ages of 50 and 61. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.

Police have classified the case as manslaughter and have already requested an investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, the group that runs the shelter, the Comforting the Afflicted Community, issued a statement to express its "deep regret" for the arson. ■