A carpentry workshop in La Paz’s Villas de Guadalupe neighborhood burned to the ground Sunday morning, destroying the structure and nearly all the equipment inside. No injuries were reported.
The fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. at the corner of Calle San Agustín. Large quantities of stored wood and sawdust fueled the blaze, which spread rapidly through the shop.
Owner Tried to Fight the Fire Alone
The shop’s owner, a 53-year-old man identified only as Inocente, was not inside when the fire started. Neighbors alerted him, and he rushed to the scene to fight the flames on his own before firefighters arrived.
Inocente managed to pull out a compressor and a few hand tools before the fire consumed the rest of the workshop. By the time the fire department reached the scene, the building was fully engulfed.
Firefighters Contain Spread to Adjacent Properties
Firefighters took control of the blaze and kept it from jumping to neighboring homes and buildings. Villas de Guadalupe is a residential neighborhood on the south side of La Paz, where small workshops and houses often sit close together on the same block.
That proximity made containment a priority. Crews worked to douse surrounding structures and prevent embers from igniting nearby rooftops.
Cause Still Under Investigation
Investigators have not yet determined what started the fire. Authorities said a forensic assessment is pending to establish whether the blaze was accidental or intentional. Carpentry shops carry elevated fire risk due to the combination of dry wood, sawdust, lacquers, and solvents commonly stored on site.
The incident was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.