«18 years after the Utopia tragedy, we remember the fateful day events that ended the 29 young people lives»
On July 20th, 2002, Jockey Square shopping center was the scene tragic fire that occurred in the Utopia disco facilities. This event took the 29 young people’s lives from Lima who was just looking for a little nighttime fun and ended up suffocated by flames.
Utopia was launched in May 2002. However, it didn’t has the permits corresponding to operating license. Because it still didn’t has the Civil Defense authorization to be able to operate with the security.
Context
This nighttime entertainment center was one of the most sought-after by Lima’s upper-middle-class youth. For this reason, the club’s management decides to hold a large event to the «Zoo» fragrance new launch by Hugo Boss. The show was in the Gasca Brothers charge; and there were also caged animals as part of the theme.
The fire
The amazing show they had put together included fire torches. Thus, there were various flammable items around the disk jockeys’ booth, benzine cans primarily. It was so that in one oversight, a show artist, lights an eave of the cabin and causes the first flames.
This event later, the shopping center staff decides to disconnect all the electrical energy to avoid a short circuit. Faced with this situation, the place was left in total darkness, as the flames advanced. The animals cry frightened by the flames spread despair in those who attended that fateful night.
Amid the chaos, some boys were able to call the fire department. When they arrived, they found several bodies on the floor suffocated by the toxic gases from the flammable material, boys looking for their friends, people trying to breathe; between service personnel, artists, and clients.
This unfortunate event that mourned 29 Peruvian families had a long and tedious trial process, which ended in 2019 with the Utopia owners acquittal.