On 17 November, just as Lima was getting ready to welcome the APEC heads of state, a fire broke out in one of the cinemas at the Larcomar shopping mall in Miraflores, just across the road from the five-star Marriot Hotel. It happened during the press screening of the latest J.K. Rowling film. A short-circuit led to an electrical fire that went out of control and quickly engulfed the theatre. Four people were killed and several were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

In contrast to the fire last month in the Cantagallo district, this happened in one of the city’s wealthiest neighbourhoods. But once again, it showed the lack of preparation for such eventualities. The health and safety protocols had been relaxed so as to promote investment at Larcomar and there were no adequate fire-retarding devices in place, not even enough fire extinguishers.

The incident highlights the fact that problems of (in)security in Peru are not confined to the poor.