Fire in Chimbote Wipes Away Over 600 Homes

Two weeks ago here in Chimbote, in a neighborhood called San Pedro, a fire started on a Sunday morning. San Pedro is one of the poorest parts of Chimbote, the homes are built on top of a sand dune and are made of estera (bamboo type plants) and cardboard and newspaper and whatever else can be found. There is no running water. All of the homes share walls, so when one home was set afire, it progressed rapidly and relentlessly and soon over 600 homes, the entire side of the sand hill, were gone. In their place, ash and sand.

We visited San Pedro last week with a group from our Parish. We went to deliver bags of clothes, food, and water from the Diocese and to help clean up and talk with the people. We found out how desperate the people were for clean water, clothes for their children, a stove to cook on, and most of all, safety and security for their families. The Municipalidad, or city council, has provided tents for these people to live in for a month until they can start rebuilding. People were already pounding poles into the ground and hanging estera when we visited. We saw children running on the hot sand with out shoes (reminder it is summer here) and dogs that had been burned while trying to run through the burning streets.

There has been a political effect of this disaster as well. There has been no security in the area since the tents were delivered, and people are being robbed nightly by what little they do have. Cesar Alvarez, the governer of our region of Peru, is being trialed for corruption presently, and this did not help his case. Not only is he providing no security, but he has not been putting any money into fire, tsunami, or any natural disaster efforts though he promised that would be a focus during his election. This has led to many blaming him for the poor efforts deployed to control the fire (and by poor efforts I mean pick up trucks with like 3 fire extinguishers attached the back).

This is a reminder of how things can change at the drop of a hat. At a stove accidentally left on or a candle that falls over while someone in the bathroom. How fast our lives can change. Everything we know and cling to can be lost. But you know what?? The people we met, while scared for their families and desperate for basic needs, were so much less panicked than I expected them to be. They werent set on the things they had in their home, the picture frames and TVs and couches and bed frames. They were just glad their families were safe, they have God in their hearts, and were ready to build again (no one died in the fire). It made me think of Oscar Romero, Dorothy Day, and Mother Teresa, who spoke so much of living a life of simplicity and poverty. The more of a materialistic life you live, the more you have to lose. But the more simply you live, the less earthly goods you will become preoccupied with and attached to, and the more you will treasure family and God.

A photo of our group walking where homes used to be (I am on the left behind the two people in white shirts)

I learned a lot from the people of San Pedro when I visited, and I would like to ask all of you to keep this community in your prayers.

I translated an article below that I got from this website; http://peru21.pe/2012/01/09/actualidad/chimbote-incendio-calcino-600-casas-2006721

Chimbote: fire charred 600 homes



Monday January 9, 2012 | 9:39

A sinister fire would be started when an inhabitant cooking with firewood in the courtyard of his house in the slums of Jose Sanchez Milla.

It was like a hell in the north. A fire destroyed nearly 600 homes in the slums of Jose Sanchez Mile in the lower area of the Cerro San Pedro, in Chimbote (Ancash region). The flames also reached the shanty shacks of New Horizon Gardens.

The fire burned the houses built of sticks and mats, up to 12 blocks wide, located near the city Chimbote. The fire started yesterday around 11:00 hours. More than three hours later, it could finally be controlled by firefighters and residents.

Precisely, the affected population showed their disgust with the regional president of Ancash, Cesar Alvarez, and the provincial mayor of Santa, Luis Arroyo, by not deploying firefighters with better resources.

The residents also complained to the municipality's delivery of property titles, because without them we can build and improve the condition of their homes.

Until last night it had not been determined with certainty whether there was suffering from suffocation or deaths. Some were injured with minor burns. Civil Defense census says those affected are to receive food, tents and other supplies.

THE REASON
The exact origin is unknown in the accident. But the first investigations indicate that this began when cooking with wood dweller in the backyard. Unable to control the fire, it spread to other homes and several gas tanks exploded.


FACT

- The fire also scorched cars and various animals.

- It was reported that there was theft from homes affected