Explosion at Fireworks Store Leaves Dozens Dead

LIMA, Peru â€”  At least 80 people died and 200 were injured Saturday in a fire sparked by an explosion in a fireworks store in a historic district in Lima, the Peruvian capital, firefighters said.

“Approximately 80 people have died, and there are more than 200 injured in different hospitals across Lima,� one police official said. The fire was largely contained 4 1/2 hours after it started.

Charred bodies were piled up on debris-strewn streets in the popular shopping area as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

President Alejandro Toledo declared two days of national mourning as he rushed to Lima from a visit to northern Peru.

Firefighters said the blaze was sparked in a fireworks store--as shoppers stocked up ahead of New Year’s festivities--and had destroyed at least three buildings packed with shops.

Radio reports said numerous people, trapped on rooftops in the blaze, were calling in vain for help.

“I tried to help, but unfortunately lots of people stayed to try to save their belongings and they died. I tried to enter to get a handicapped person out, but it was too late to do anything,� said one merchant, who had tears in his eyes.

Efforts to fight the blaze were hindered at first by low water pressure and crowds of people drawn by the flames, which initially blocked firetrucks.

Officials cut electricity to the area to limit the possibility of short circuits adding to the fire, and firefighters used portable generators to power floodlights trained on the blaze.

Tulio Nicolini, the national fire chief, said it was the worst blaze he had seen in 40 years, and he asked for assistance from firefighters in other parts of Lima.

Firefighters said the temperature inside the buildings could have reached at least 1,100 degrees.

“It’s a terrible disgrace. We should ban fireworks,� Interior Minister Fernando Rospigliosi told reporters at the scene.