In brief
A deadly fire erupted early Wednesday morning at a family home in Lima’s La Victoria neighbourhood, taking the lives of ten relatives, including five children ages 3‑15. Police say the blaze may have been deliberate, with the family previously facing extortion threats. The victims included four adults and a fifth whose age was not disclosed, with two others injured. Witnesses report that motorcycles outside were set aflame and that the heat spread quickly through mattress‑making materials. The incident has left Peru in mourning and will prompt an intensified police presence to prevent further criminal acts.
A deadly blaze in Lima’s La Victoria district has killed 10 members of the same family, including five children, police say.
The fire struck the property in the southern part of the neighbourhood early Wednesday, according to Gen. Oscar Arriola of the Peruvian National Police.
Victims were five children aged 3 to 15 plus four adults aged 29 to 72 and a fifth adult whose age was not disclosed. Two others were wounded.
Police are investigating whether the blaze was set deliberately. Local media report that the family—who made mattresses and owned electric motorcycles—had recently faced extortion demands and threats.
Neighbors say unknown individuals ignited motorcycles parked outside, and the flames rapidly spread through the highly combustible mattress‑making materials. Seventeen family members were inside the building when the fire ignited at about 03:00 local time (08:00 GMT), but seven reportedly escaped.
Arriola noted that the bodies were burned beyond recognition and that “today, all of Peru falls silent in the face of a tragedy that plunges our nation into mourning.”
