Fire Kills 26 at Drug Rehab Center in Peru


A fire at The Christ Love center for drug and alcohol addiction killed at least 26 people this morning in Peru.

The Associated Press reports that the Christ Love center, which is located in one of the poorer districts in Lima, is overcrowded and unlicensed. Health Minister Alberto Tejada said:

“This rehabilitation center wasn’t authorized. It was a house that they had taken over… for patients with addictions and they had the habit of leaving people locked up with no medical supervision.”

Gianfranco Huerta, a patient, told a local news station:

“The doors were locked, there was no way to get out.”

All of the windows at the center were barred up and many of the patients were locked in small rooms. When the fire started the patients had no way to escape. Fire fighters punched holes through the walls to try to rescue the residents but at least 26 people died in the fire.

Peru’s fire chief, Antonio Zavala, said:

“We’ve had to use electric saws to cut through the metal bars of the doors to be able to work.”

The Associated Press reports that firefighters also had trouble rescuing patients because the department is drastically underfunded and all members of the fire department are volunteers.

The Canadian Press reports that firefighters are not sure how many people were in the building at the time of the fire. The owner of the building and several members of the staff reportedly fled the scene.

Share this article: Fire Kills 26 at Drug Rehab Center in Peru
More from Inquisitr