Lima, Sep 8 (EFE).- Six people were killed and three others injured Wednesday in an explosion at an unlicensed fireworks factory in the northern Peruvian city of Chiclayo, authorities said.

The force of the blast nearly destroyed the house containing the workshop and tore the roofs off three neighboring homes, the regional police commander in Lambayeque, Col. Jose Felix, told RPP radio.

He said the three injured people were listed in critical condition at a hospital in Chiclayo, the regional capital.

One of the fatalities, apparently the owner of the workshop, was blown into the middle of the street, Canal N television reported.

Peru adopted very strict regulation of the manufacture and use of fireworks following the tragic events of Dec. 29, 2001, when a fireworks-spurred blaze at Lima's Central Market left 280 people dead.

But intense demand for fireworks in connection with national and religious holidays and local festivals prompts vendors to evade the safety regulations and produce fireworks under unsafe conditions.