Beauty queen, 27, dies jumping from from her sixth-floor balcony while escaping horror flat blaze
A BEAUTY queen has died after jumping from the balcony of her sixth-floor flat to escape a fire.
Mayara Nitão, 27, better known as Maya, was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died of her injuries.
Her 23-year-old brother was also hospitalised with smoke inhalation and is said to be in a stable condition after the fire in Brazil.
He only learned of her tragic death 24 hours after the fire.
The model and influencer, who had nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram,
The fire happened in the upmarket district of Itaim Bibi, São Paulo, on March 25.
According to local media reports, the fire began at 10.40 am and the flames quickly spread through the apartment.
Maya’s mum Geraldina Kelly da Silva Angelo, 46, told Metropoles: “The fire took over everything. She was afraid to go through the fire.”
Paying tribute to her daughter, Geraldina said: “She was born to shine.
“She was a star, a strong warrior, determined. Everything she did was with love”
According to reports, the Maya’s parents flew from Paraíba State to São Paulo to tell her brother of her death in person.
The model’s father César Nitão 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’.”
Maya was crowned Miss Sertão Paraibano in January.
The model, who came from Campina Grande, Paraíba State, had competed in beauty pageants since 2019 and had won a total of nine titles.
She went to work as a model in São Paulo and encouraged her brother to move with her and continue his studies in the city.
Her father said she will be buried in João Pessoa, Paraíba State.
The investigation into the cause of the blaze is ongoing.
The fire department sent 14 engines and 40 firefighters to the apartment block to tackle the fire.
Fire brigade spokesperson Captain Felipe Félis dos Santos said: “It started inside.
“We have no information about the cause yet, however it did not spread to other apartments.”