Interior room of the National Library after the fire

During the early morning of May 10, 1943, a great fire consumed much of the building of the then National Library of Peru. The culprits were the subject of controversy and investigation. A few days after the disaster, the government appointed a Pro-Reconstruction commission.
After arduous night work, at dawn the incident seemed finally under fire control. However, the flames tried to reignite near the Church of San Pedro, a threat that the firefighters managed to control. As a result of the episode, some fire companies took turns to watch that the fire did not reignite.