Shock And Horror In Peru

Police combed through downtown Lima for fireworks Monday, lugging away crate after crate of Roman candles, bottle rockets and firecrackers in hopes of averting a disaster like the inferno that killed nearly 300 people over the weekend.

The seizures followed the deadliest fire in Peru's history, which occurred Saturday night in an area of historic downtown Lima filled with holiday shoppers.

Lima Fire Chief Tulio Nicolini said the blaze began after sparks from a firecracker, lit apparently as a demonstration, ignited others on some of the dozens of fireworks stands nearby.

The ensuing blaze devoured four blocks of decrepit apartment buildings and shopping galleries in a matter of minutes, leaving dozens of people, including small children, charred beyond recognition.

About 40 tons of fireworks had been stashed in the congested neighborhood, said Gabriela Adrianzen of the mayor's office. It was not clear how much went off in the fire.

As rescue workers continued to search for victims, Attorney General Nelly Calderon said the death toll had reached 290 by Monday afternoon, Peru's deadliest fire on record.

Authorities said they will confiscate tons of fireworks nationwide. But in a country where firecrackers have been central to public celebrations for hundreds of years, persuading people to give them up was not going to be easy.

Vendors complained they were being deprived of a major source of income. Peru imported an estimated 940 tons of fireworks just for this holiday season, officials said.

Hundreds of teary-eyed family members and friends gathered outside the Lima morgue Monday, clutching photographs of loved ones they believe perished in the fire. The mourners were waiting to identify relatives, many after spending the night outside the morgue.

Even with the weekend tragedy still painfully fresh, New Year's Eve in Lima was expected to be punctuated by the usual popping and streaking sparks of fireworks.

"This is a time of mourning that everyone is going through, but the fiestas are going to continue the same," said Roberto Soler, 27, taking a break from hawking books to cars lined up at a traffic light.

"Yes, it's dangerous, but people never learn their lesson," said Soler, who is from Huancayo in the Andes mountains, where the custom of celebrating with fireworks is widespread.

Fireworks are a deeply rooted tradition in Peru, said Juan Ossio, an anthropologist at Lima's Catholic University who studies Andean culture. "There is no party or celebration that is not accompanied by fireworks or firecrackers."

Using fireworks on days of fiestas has endured since the Spaniards introduced them upon their arrival to Peru in the 16th century, Ossio said. While the tradition is most entrenched in mountain regions, it has taken hold throughout the country.

Recent rural immigrants brought to Lima the tradition of using a dazzling array of fireworks to mark virtually any type of celebration.

The booms and pops ofireworks are familiar sounds whenever one of Peru's hundreds of Andean villages marks the anniversary of its patron saint, a celebration that can last for days.

Fireworks are also used in private ceremonies, such as the funeral of a child, Ossio said. The dead child's godfather will toss firecrackers while accompanying his coffin to a cemetery. The explosions represent an expression of joy because the child will enter heaven with a pure soul.

The fascination with fireworks is not unique to Peru in Latin America. A thriving clandestine trade supplies Mexicans with fireworks to celebrate the December holiday season, despite a similar fire in downtown Mexico City that killed more than 60 people in December 1988.

In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez has encouraged his supporters to launch rocket fireworks during this year's holidays to counter a wave of pot-banging street protests against him.

Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo said Sunday, after visiting Lima's devastated downtown, that he was banning immediately the importation, production and sale of fireworks.

But Soler said he plans to celebrate New Years' Eve by lighting a few firecrackers anyway.

"It makes celebrating the New Year more fun," he said. "No one's going to celebrate the end of the year holed up in his house."

By Craig Mauro ©MMI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed