Fire in a house in Caracas, Venezuela, left nine dead from the same family

Nine members of the same family, most of them minors, died last Friday, December 13, 2024, as a result of a fire in his home in Caracas, according to the Venezuelan Government.

In a statement, the Ministry of the Interior and Justice expressed that, despite the “efforts to control the flames” in the house, located in the Coche parish of the Libertador municipality, “Unfortunately, nine compatriots lost their lives.”

“We send to the families of the victims, friends and the Coche community our most sincere words of condolence and solidarity at such a terrible moment. “The security bodies are carrying out all investigations to clarify the causes of such an unfortunate event,” he added.

Previously, the mayor of Caracas, Carmen Meléndez, had reported eight deaths – a 20-year-old girl and seven minors – including a newborn.

At the moment, the authorities have not specified the age of the other fatal victim.

According to the firefighters, The fire occurred on the ground floor of the house as a result of an explosion, after which the people went up to the upper level of the house and took refuge in a room, where they later died from “smoke inhalation.”

Meléndez and the head of Government of Caracas, Nahum Fernández, also expressed solidarity with the victims’ relatives and with the community, which, according to the mayor, the head of state, Nicolás Maduro ordered “unrestricted support” in “this regrettable moment for all families” in that sector.

At the scene were firefighters from Caracas, agents from the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) and officials from the Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigations Corps (Cicpc), who – Fernández indicated – are finding out the cause of the explosion.

In December of last year, the Caracas Fire Department reported an “deflagration due to the accumulation of liquefied gas” in a “multi-family home” in the Venezuelan capital, which left a balance of “two injured citizens, to whom medical attention was provided.”