A fire has killed 10 members of the same family in Lima, Peru, with authorities now investigating the cause of the blaze amid local media reports suggesting it may have been an act of arson.
The victims died after flames tore through their home in the Peruvian capital, according to police. Emergency crews responded to the scene, but the fire proved fatal for the entire household.
Investigators have not yet confirmed how the fire started. Local media outlets have raised the possibility that the blaze was set deliberately, though officials have stopped short of ruling on a cause while forensic work continues.
Fires in densely populated urban areas of Lima have periodically caused significant loss of life, with older housing stock and constrained access for emergency vehicles among the recurring challenges facing responders.
The incident marks one of the deadliest domestic fires the city has recorded in recent memory, striking a single extended family living under one roof.
Lima, a city that continues to reveal layers of its long history — including a 1,000-year-old pre-Hispanic cemetery uncovered beneath one of its streets — has also grappled with public safety pressures across its sprawling neighbourhoods.
Authorities are expected to release further details once investigators determine the origin of the fire. Should evidence point to arson, a criminal inquiry would likely follow.
The identities of the victims and further circumstances surrounding the tragedy have not yet been made public as the investigation proceeds.