Arica house fire kills mother and daughter

ARICA.- A mother and daughter were killed after their home -which was made of light-weight material- caught fire in the Acha canyon, 18 kilometers to the east of Arica.

Authorities believe the flames may have begun after a candle tipped over in an area with no water supply. Public Prosecutor Patricio Sanhueza stated that firefighters arrived three hours after the fire had started.

The fatal victims of the blaze were identified as 30 year-old Carola Arriagada Marín and 6 year-old María Belén Avilés, who were sleeping at the time of the incident.

Orlando Mondaca, the president of the neighborhood committee, claims that authorities have not kept their promise to supply area residents with basic services because electricity extension projects do not qualify as social income.