They wanted to burn me and the house with me
En una tarde de martes en Mendoza, lo que comenzó como una disputa doméstica derivó en un acto de violencia deliberada: un hombre prendió fuego una vivienda precaria con una mujer adentro, tras golpearla con una varilla de hierro. La víctima logró escapar con quemaduras graves en el veinte por ciento de su cuerpo, y sus primeras palabras en el lugar —fragmentadas, pronunciadas en estado de shock— se convirtieron en el núcleo de una causa penal que avanza. Dos hermanos enfrentan ahora cargos formales, recordándonos que la inacción ante el daño ajeno también tiene nombre en la ley.
- Una mujer escapa por sus propios medios de una habitación en llamas con quemaduras de primer y segundo grado en brazos y piernas, y permanece hospitalizada en estado reservado con daño pulmonar por inhalación de humo.
- El acusado no solo encendió el fuego: primero golpeó a la víctima en la nuca con una varilla de hierro y luego bloqueó su salida, convirtiendo el incendio en una trampa deliberada.
- Su hermana, presente durante el ataque, no intervino ni pidió ayuda, lo que la coloca ante la justicia bajo el cargo de omisión de auxilio —la ley que penaliza el silencio cómplice frente al peligro mortal.
- Las palabras de la víctima en la escena —'me quisieron quemar a mí y a la casa'— quedaron incorporadas al expediente y sostienen la teoría fiscal junto con pericias forenses y testimonios de vecinos.
- Los fiscales no descartan cargos agravantes: la investigación continúa abierta y la evolución del estado de salud de la mujer podría modificar la calificación legal del caso.
Un martes por la tarde, el humo que salía de una vivienda precaria en la calle Salta, en el centro de Mendoza, alertó a los vecinos, que llamaron al 911. Los bomberos voluntarios de Godoy Cruz llegaron a tiempo para evitar que el fuego se propagara, pero dentro encontraron las consecuencias de algo que no había sido un accidente.
J.V.E., de 36 años, había logrado salir sola. Tenía quemaduras graves en brazos y piernas que cubrían aproximadamente el veinte por ciento de su cuerpo. En medio del caos, alcanzó a decir lo que había pasado: querían quemarla a ella junto con la casa. Fue trasladada de urgencia al Hospital Lagomaggiore, donde permanece internada en estado reservado, con los pulmones dañados por el humo.
La investigación, a cargo de la fiscal Florencia Díaz Peralta y la Unidad de Homicidios, reconstruyó los hechos con rapidez. R.B., de 36 años, golpeó a la víctima en la nuca con una varilla de hierro durante una disputa entre personas que habitaban irregularmente el lugar. Luego la empujó hacia una habitación de palos y nailon y le prendió fuego, bloqueando la salida. Su hermana, S.B., de 40 años, presenció todo sin intervenir.
Los cargos fueron formalizados con celeridad: tentativa de homicidio para él, omisión de auxilio para ella. Las pericias confirmaron el origen intencional del incendio, y los testimonios de vecinos reforzaron el cuadro probatorio. Las pocas palabras que la víctima pudo pronunciar en la escena —'este con su hermana me quiso quemar'— quedaron incorporadas al expediente.
La mujer aún no ha podido declarar ante la justicia. Su recuperación es incierta. Los fiscales mantienen abierta la posibilidad de incorporar agravantes según cómo evolucione su estado de salud y a medida que la investigación avance.
On a Tuesday afternoon in central Mendoza, neighbors noticed thick smoke pouring from a precarious dwelling on Salta Street. They called 911. Firefighters from the Godoy Cruz Volunteer Fire Department arrived quickly enough to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby homes, but inside the structure, a woman lay badly burned.
J.V.E., 36 years old, had managed to escape on her own, her legs and arms marked with severe first and second-degree burns covering roughly a fifth of her body. She was rushed to Hospital Lagomaggiore, where she remains hospitalized in guarded condition, her lungs damaged from smoke inhalation. In the chaos of her rescue, she managed to say something to those around her: "They wanted to burn me and the house with me."
What began as a dispute between people living irregularly in the home had escalated into something far worse. Prosecutors determined the fire was no accident. According to the investigation led by Prosecutor Florencia Díaz Peralta and the Homicide Unit, a 36-year-old man—identified as R.B.—struck the victim in the back of the neck with an iron rod. Then, with deliberate intent to end her life, he forced her into a room constructed of wooden poles and plastic sheeting and set it ablaze, blocking her escape. His sister, S.B., 40, witnessed this unfold and did nothing.
The formal charges came swiftly. R.B. faces attempted homicide. His sister faces a charge of omission of aid—the legal term for standing by while someone faces mortal danger and choosing not to help. The evidence was substantial: forensic examination of the dwelling confirmed the fire's intentional origin. Neighbors and other residents corroborated the escalating violence. The victim's own fragmented words, spoken in shock and pain, aligned with the prosecutors' theory of what had occurred.
The woman's condition has prevented her from giving a full statement to the court. The smoke she inhaled, combined with the severity of her burns, has left her unable to testify in person. But her few words at the scene—"This one with his sister wanted to burn me"—became part of the official record. Prosecutors noted that while the evidence does not currently point to gender-based violence as the primary motive, the case may yet include aggravating factors as the investigation deepens and as her medical condition evolves.
The judicial authorities are continuing their reconstruction of events. They have not ruled out additional charges. The victim's recovery—physical and otherwise—remains uncertain. She lies in the hospital, her body healing from burns that cover a fifth of her skin, her lungs still processing the damage of smoke and fire, waiting to see what comes next.
Notable Quotes
This one with his sister wanted to burn me and the house with me— The victim, J.V.E., speaking to rescuers after escaping the fire
The man struck the victim in the back of the neck with an iron rod and, with the intention of ending her life, forced her into a room of poles and plastic, setting it on fire and preventing her escape— Prosecutor Florencia Díaz Peralta, describing the charges
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does the sister's charge matter as much as the brother's? She didn't light the fire.
Because in law, witnessing someone being murdered and doing nothing can be a crime itself. She saw him strike the victim, saw him force her into that burning room, and she didn't call for help or try to stop him. That silence has weight.
Do we know what the original fight was about?
The sources don't say. Just that it was a dispute between people living in the house. The prosecutors looked for signs it was about gender, but didn't find clear evidence of that as the driving motive. It was violence, but the why remains unclear.
The victim said "they wanted to burn me." Does that suggest she knew them?
Almost certainly. She lived there with them, however informally. She knew who they were. That makes the deliberateness even sharper—this wasn't a stranger attack. It was people she shared a home with.
What happens if she doesn't recover?
The charges could change entirely. Attempted homicide becomes homicide. The legal calculus shifts. Right now prosecutors are waiting to see how her body heals, how her lungs function, whether she can eventually testify. Everything hinges on her survival and recovery.
Why mention that the house was precarious?
Because it matters. A structure of poles and plastic catches fire differently than a concrete building. It burns faster, hotter, with less time to escape. It's the kind of home where people live because they have nowhere else to go. That context shapes what happened.