In Peru about 25,000 emergencies are left unattended every year, by volunteer firefighters who lack necessary equipment and support units.

Antonio Zavala Abeo, Comander General of the Volunteer Fire Department said that fire brigades generally received about 150,000 emergency calls throughout the year.

Of that total, he said, they are only able to reach 125,000, leaving 25,000 emergencies unaddressed, due to equipment shortages.

He said that this situation happened mainly in the provinces, where fire brigades lack enough fire engines and tanker trunks.

"There is a fleet problem in the fire department. If these aren’t renewed, there will be no firefighters. Moreover, in our country there is another difficulty: the lack of water to control fires," said Zavala, according to Andina.

He said they would need at least 191 more tanker trucks in order to lessen the lack of resources at fire stations across the country.

Zavala emphasized that the number of firefighters was not the issue, and that they arrived at the scene immediately, “the problem is the lack of equipment.”