Caracas, Venezuela—A fast-moving fire ignited in a heavily damaged district late last night, adding a new layer of horror to the earthquake aftermath. The blaze tore through the remaining sections of a residential block already weakened by the twin tremors. Residents who had stayed near the ruins to guard their belongings were forced to flee for their lives. The fire spread quickly due to downed power lines and ruptured gas mains.

Emergency responders arriving at the scene found their path blocked by debris from the previous quakes. Water pressure in the municipal pipes has been non-existent since the main shocks hit on Wednesday. Firefighters were forced to use portable extinguishers and manual chains to try and contain the flames. The effort was largely futile given the density of the wreckage.

"We have nothing left to put out a fire of this size," one crew member said. The heat from the blaze could be felt several blocks away. It consumed what remained of the structures that had survived the initial seismic event. Families who lost their homes in the earthquake were now watching their final possessions burn.

The fire is currently being treated as a secondary casualty of the disaster. Authorities believe that a gas leak caused by the shifting ground acted as the primary fuel source. Investigations into the exact cause are ongoing, though officials admit that securing the perimeter is the current priority. The district remains a smoldering ruin this morning.

Smoke is still thick in the air, forcing residents to cover their faces with damp cloths. There is no official count of the casualties from the fire yet, but recovery teams have pulled multiple bodies from the charred remains. Every death here feels like a failure of the emergency system.

Local shelters are now overflowing with those displaced a second time by the fire. The scarcity of clean water and basic supplies remains the most pressing issue for the survivors. Volunteer groups are struggling to move people further away from the danger zones.

The incident has highlighted the extreme vulnerability of the surviving architecture. Experts are warning that other districts face similar risks from gas leaks and unstable electrical grids. The threat of secondary disasters is growing as the recovery efforts continue to lag.

Darkness brings more fear as the city remains largely without electricity. Many residents are choosing to stay in parks or open squares rather than risk another night in buildings that could burn at any moment.