On a fateful Saturday afternoon, in the cramped slopes of Pamplona Alta — a hillside settlement in San Juan de Miraflores, Lima — a single spark ignited a disaster no one could have foreseen.
What began in a few homes built of wood, corrugated metal and other precarious materials quickly escalated into a merciless inferno.
Rapid Escalation: From Smoke to Widespread Destruction
Residents first noticed the smell of smoke just as the late afternoon sun began to lower.
Within minutes, flickers of flame turned into roaring embers chasing across rooftops — and then the wind shifted, fueling the fire, pushing the heat and smoke up the hill.
In a scene of panic and chaos, families scrambled through narrow alleys. Some grabbed what little they could salvage: a quilt, a few clothes, a cherished photo.
Others carried children wrapped in blankets, guided the elderly down steep, slippery paths with trembling arms, rarely stopping to look back.
By the time firefighters and volunteer neighbors arrived, the fire had already leapt across dozens — eventually over one hundred — homes.
The mountainside was bathed in an ominous red glow, the air thick with ash, burnt wood, and smoke.
and flame before their eyes. Continue reading…
