55 families lose homes in Casco Viejo blaze

AT LEAST 55 families were affected by a fire that destroyed three restored buildings in Casco Viejo on Wednesday, afternoon, February 21. Firefighters were hampered by illegally parked cars and low water pressure.

The three houses in Plaza Herrera, formed the Boyacá house, a  triangular structure built in 1890 and restored in 2005 under the supervision of Spanish and Panamanian architects. Neighboring buildings were also affected by the blaze, which took an hour to control.

Many of the residents had been rehoused in the structure after being evicted from other buildings in the area. It was located between Avenue A and 11th Street.

Police, who cordoned off the area to protect rubberneckers, arrested a man trying to steal belongings of the newly displaced victims which had been carried on to the street.

Jaime Villar, general director of the Fire Department, said they had problems with water pressure and badly parked vehicles that made extinction work difficult (see video).

The cars were removed and towed.