Rubble of the National Library after its fire, current Ucayali Street

"Fire at the National Library!" was the phrase with which it was reported the events that occurred in the early morning of May 10, 1943, when a voracious fire consumed much of the building and the collections of the National Library of Peru. The culprits were the subject of controversy and investigation.
"The fire, which reached great proportions since it was warned, causing the surprise of the first firefighters who acted, had already consumed, when they entered, the Europa Hall, the America [Hall], and it came - we repeat - overwhelming from within to outside." - Investigation commission report (1945)