The Joelma Building, now known as Edifício Praça da Bandeira, is a 25-storey structure located in downtown São Paulo, Brazil. Completed in 1971, the building became the site of one of the world’s most notorious high-rise disasters and has since gained a reputation for being haunted, with a legacy of tragedy and paranormal phenomena that continues to fascinate and disturb.
On 1 February 1974, a catastrophic fire broke out in the Joelma Building. The blaze began when an air conditioning unit on the twelfth floor overheated and caught fire. The building’s interior was filled with highly flammable materials, including wooden partitions, cellulose fibre ceiling tiles, and synthetic furnishings. These conditions allowed the fire to spread rapidly throughout the structure, engulfing it in flames within just twenty minutes. At the time, there were no fire alarms, emergency lights, sprinkler systems, or emergency exits. The only means of escape were the lifts and a single central stairwell, both of which quickly became impassable as the fire intensified. Of the 756 people inside, 181 lost their lives and over 300 were injured. Some sources suggest the death toll may have been even higher.
The fire was particularly deadly because the building’s design left no way to contain the blaze. The central open stairwell acted as a chimney, spreading fire and smoke upwards with terrifying speed. Firefighters were unable to reach above the eleventh floor due to the intense heat and smoke, leaving many people trapped on the upper levels. Some survivors managed to escape by climbing onto narrow exterior ledges, while others were rescued by helicopter from the rooftop. Tragically, more than forty people jumped from the building in desperation, none of whom survived. The disaster shocked Brazil and the world, prompting significant changes in fire safety regulations.
The site’s dark history, however, extends further back. Before the Joelma Building was constructed, the land was the scene of a grisly crime in 1948. A man named Paul Campbell murdered his mother and two sisters, burying their bodies in a pit in the garden. He later took his own life. This event became known locally as the “Crime of the Pit,” and rumours of a curse began to circulate. The subsequent death of a firefighter who helped exhume the bodies only added to the belief that the ground itself was tainted by misfortune.
After the fire, the Joelma Building was closed for four years and underwent extensive renovations. It eventually reopened under a new name, but its reputation for paranormal activity endures. The most famous legend associated with the building is that of the “13 Souls.” During the fire, thirteen people attempted to escape by lift but were overcome by smoke and flames. Their bodies were so badly burned that they could not be identified and were buried together in a mass grave at São Pedro Cemetery. Soon after, cemetery visitors and staff began to report hearing screams, moaning, and cries for help coming from the grave site. The cemetery caretaker, desperate to quiet the disturbances, poured water over the graves, which reportedly calmed the noises. This led to a tradition of leaving glasses of water at the site, believed to soothe the restless spirits.
Inside the building itself, numerous reports of paranormal phenomena have been documented over the years. Witnesses have described seeing shadowy figures and ghostly apparitions, particularly in the upper floors and near the lifts. Sudden drops in temperature, unexplained noises such as disembodied voices and cries for help, and the sensation of being watched are commonly reported. The lifts are said to malfunction for no clear reason, sometimes stopping on the floors where the most deaths occurred. Fire alarms and lights have reportedly activated without cause, further fuelling the building’s haunted reputation.
The legend of the 13 Souls is particularly persistent. Many believe that the spirits of those who died in the lift remain trapped, unable to find peace. The sense of unease is so strong that some employees have refused to work in the building, and visitors often report feeling a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
Today, the Joelma Building stands as a functioning commercial property, but its history of tragedy and tales of the supernatural continue to attract curiosity and caution. The combination of its violent past, the scale of the disaster, and the ongoing reports of unexplained phenomena have secured its place as one of Brazil’s most haunted locations.
