Overview
- The fire broke out at about 3 a.m. on Wednesday in La Victoria, where 17 people were inside the two linked dwellings and seven escaped.
- Authorities confirmed 10 people died, including five children, and two others were injured; police say nine of the victims belonged to a single family.
- Investigators led by the Peruvian National Police are treating possible deliberate arson and extortion as active lines of inquiry while forensic teams review CCTV and scene evidence.
- Neighbors say the family ran a mattress-making business that stored highly flammable materials and had reported threats and alleged extortion for roughly a month, which could explain the blaze’s rapid spread.
- President-elect Keiko Fujimori visited the site and called the deaths a “terrible massacre,” and local officials have sealed the scene as police and prosecutors continue identification and cause-of-fire work.