Ten family members killed in devastating Lima house fire
Key Takeaways
- Ten members of one family died in a Lima house fire.
- Five of the victims were children.
- Authorities are investigating whether the blaze was deliberately started.
A fire that tore through a family home in Lima's La Victoria district left ten relatives dead, including five children, as investigators examined whether the blaze was deliberately started.
Ten members of the same family, including five children, died after a fire destroyed their home in the La Victoria district of Lima early on Wednesday.
The blaze reduced the house and nearby vehicles to charred remains as relatives, neighbours and friends gathered outside while police secured the area.
Rosario Vilchez, a relative of the victims, said the fire began after an electric motorcycle exploded.
"The electric motorcycle exploded and sparked in front, sparked over here, because my uncle too, look at how his whole house has been left completely destroyed," she explained.
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Vilchez said 17 people were living in the house on Jiron Pisagua, with only seven surviving the fire.
"We are seeing that my niece has been left with nothing. She has nothing. We are poor, humble people. If we had money, we would have a five- or six-storey house," she stressed.
Minister of Women and Vulnerable Populations Edith Betzabeth Pariona visited the scene to offer condolences to the victims' relatives. She said authorities are investigating the incident because it is suspected the fire may have been started intentionally.
"I understand that it was a fire that was apparently caused intentionally. We also do not know whether something within this process caused it, and unfortunately, because there were plastics and cardboard, it caused all this impact and led to this whole chain of events, this incident," she stated.
Manager of Human Development for the Municipality of Lima Isabel Ayala confirmed that children were among those who died and said investigators had not yet established the cause of the fire.
"As for the events, we are still waiting for the police to draw their conclusions. There are many theories. The only thing we can say is that we have already confirmed that there are ten deceased, among whom were children and adults, with all the sorrow in the world, because they are little ones three years old, six years old," she lamented.
Peru's president-elect Keiko Fujimori also visited the site to express solidarity with the victims' families. National Police General Commander Oscar Arriola said an investigation is underway to determine what caused the fire.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
