Machu Picchu fire kills one near main access road

A fire near the main access road to Machu Picchu has killed one person and injured two others, Peruvian officials said Saturday.

The blaze broke out Friday in the Sacred Valley of the Cusco region, an area that includes the train station most often used to reach the Inca citadel.

Miguel Osco of the regional disaster management agency told RPP radio that an older man died in the fire and two other people suffered burns. He said hot, windy weather and dry vegetation had helped the blaze spread quickly.

Osco said the fire started when farmers were burning brush to clear land for crops.

Gustavo Lozano, who lives in the area, told RPP that tourism buses pass a few hundred meters from the fire.