Rio fire destroys thousands of Brazil carnival costumes

The fire hit less than a month before the carnival

A huge fire in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in South America has destroyed more than 8,000 costumes created for the city's famous carnival next month.

The blaze hit warehouses in Samba City, the area where top carnival groups spend months making colourful floats and costumes for the big parades.

Costume maker Jose da Silva Junior said: "A dream has been thrown in the trash. Months of work...it's all lost."

It's not yet known what started the huge fire.

See our gallery of the Rio de Janeiro fire

The fire was started on Monday morning.

At least one person was injured in the blaze, which was brought under control by firefighters.

Flames spread

It spread quickly because the floats and costumes were made from stuff that catches fire quickly, such as wood, foam and paper.

A huge plume of black smoke was seen in the sky for hours after the fire.

Rio's annual carnival is one of the biggest parties in the world and attracts many thousands of tourists each year.