A major fire that broke out early Wednesday morning at a house on the 400 block of Pisagua Street in Lima's La Victoria district left 10 people dead, including five children, Peruvian National Police (PNP) Commander General Oscar Arriola reported.
Arriola said that most of the victims were members of the Vilchez family.
"I would like to express my condolences to the relatives of the Vilchez family, whose members have passed away. There are 10 victims, nine of them with the surname Vilchez," he told reporters.
The police chief said the fatalities included five children aged 3, 6, 6, 8, and 15, as well as five adults aged 29, 35, 42, and 72, plus another adult whose age has not been disclosed. All were members of the same family.
He indicated that the bodies were burned beyond recognition in the fire, which broke out at around 3:00 a.m. (local time).
Arriola said the PNP's Fire Investigation Department is conducting a thorough investigation alongside forensic experts to determine the point of origin, the circumstances surrounding it, and its cause.
According to the Civil Defense Institute's (Ineci) National Emergency Operations Center (COEN), the urban fire—classified as a code 2 incident—broke out at around 3:00 a.m. on the 400 block of Pisagua Street in Lima province and region.
The fire was brought under control by the General Corps of Volunteer Firefighters of Peru (CGBVP), which deployed nine units to respond to the emergency.
One of the relatives said the victims were believed to be her father, her siblings, her sister-in-law, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Neighbors indicated that the family was engaged in mattress manufacturing and also owned electric motorcycles.
For about a month, the family had been receiving threats and demands for alleged extortion payments, the neighbors added.
According to this account, unknown individuals allegedly set fire to the electric motorcycles parked in front of the building.
The flames allegedly spread rapidly after igniting the flammable materials used in mattress manufacturing that were stored both inside and outside the house, making it difficult for the occupants to escape.
These hypotheses remain under investigation by the PNP and the Public Ministry.
The victims' relatives also said a security camera installed at a house across from the scene could provide key footage to determine how the blaze started and whether it was, in fact, intentionally set.
The area remains cordoned off as forensic experts, representatives of the Public Prosecutor's Office, and officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (Depincri) carry out the necessary procedures to fully identify the victims and determine the cause of the fire.
Given the house's location on a narrow street, inspection and debris removal operations are being carried out with particular care.
Publicado: 22/7/2026