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Mayara Nitao: Beauty queen, 27, dies after jumping from 6th floor of apartment building to escape fire

'She was a star, a strong warrior, determined. Everything she did was with love,' Mayara Nitao mother said

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL: Miss Sertao Paraibano died while trying to flee from a fire in her building. Mayara Nitao, 27, died on March 25 after sustaining fatal injuries when she jumped from the sixth floor of her apartment in the upmarket district of Itaim Bibi, São Paulo. She was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved.

Fire brigade spokesperson Captain Felipe Felis dos Santos said, as reported by The Mirror, “It started inside. We have no information about the cause yet, however, it did not spread to other apartments.” The beauty queen's 23-year-old brother was also living with her in the same house but he survived.

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‘She was born to shine’

The Sun reported that Nitao's brother was receiving treatment at the hospital for issues related to smoke inhalation. Nearly 24 hours after the tragedy that began at 10.40am, her brother was informed about her death. Her mother, Geraldina Kelly da Silva Angelo, told Metropoles, “Fire took over everything. (She) was afraid to go through the fire,” adding, “She was born to shine: she was a star. Strong, warrior, determined. Everything she did was with love.”

The 46-year-old also spoke of her son and said, “My son ended up sleeping on the couch and went to his room at dawn. He said that, in the morning, he felt a smell of burning, he got up and the room was already engulfed in fire.” She added, “He was left holding the handle, which was very hot from the fire. He started screaming and inhaled a lot of smoke. The doctor said that if he had stayed five more minutes, he would have died.”

Nitao's grieving father, Cesar, said, “The love of my life is now a star in the sky. I love you forever my daughter. As grandma used to say, ‘my beautiful baby.’” He added that she would be laid to rest in João Pessoa, Paraíba State.

‘I'm super big on being peaceful and calm’

In February 2022, Nitao spoke about her journey into the fashion world with KW Fashion Magazine. The influencer said, “I started modeling after my parents took me to a photographer in my city. It was my first professional photoshoot, I was only six months old and I was already totally uninhibited for photos and videos. The photographer saw how photogenic I was, he loved the results of the material, and he decided that I would be the advertising baby for his studio!”

She added, “With my parents' permission, the photos went to other outlets, newspapers, local magazines, it was my first big exhibition. But my first big break was working for L'Oreal Paris in 2018, which opened doors for me in the international market.”

At the time, Nitara also described what a perfect day meant to her as she said, “I'm super big on being peaceful and calm, so a perfect day for me would be waking up early, meditating, praying, exercising, sunbathing, going to the beach or park, eating healthy meals with my family, studying, talking to people I love, watching a movie, reading a book, and just taking care of myself in every way.”