Elderly couple dead in Marikina fire

MANILA, Philippines — An elderly couple died and 24 families were left homeless when a fire struck a residential area in Marikina City before dawn yesterday.

The victims, a couple aged 84 and 80, died after they got trapped in their house along Champaca 2 street in Barangay Fortune, where the fire originated.

The fire started at 12:36 a.m. and reached the first alarm, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)’s National Capital Region field unit said in a report.

Arson investigators said the fire originated in a bedroom on the ground floor of the couple’s house. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Up to 18 houses were destroyed by the fire, which was doused by firefighters at 1:39 a.m.

Angelo Padrogado, barangay secretary, said in a phone interview that 24 families or 94 people were displaced.

Some of the affected residents are taking shelter in an evacuation center.

The BFP said six fire trucks responded to the scene.