7 in Chinese clan killed in dawn fire

Seven members of a Chinese family were killed in a fire that destroyed a noodle and ice cream cone factory early dawn Sunday in Cogon-Pardo, Cebu City.

All seven, including the matriarch of the family, Eng-Eng Chua, 70, were trapped in their two-story home inside the compound of Eastern Enterprises.

Killed along with Chua were her daughter Helen Que, 44, and her two children, Karen Que, 15, and Kenneth Que Jr., 10. Three other children, all grandchildren of Eng-Eng, also died. They were Ada Marie Chua, 16, Arvin Chua, 13, and Arjohn Chua, 12.

The fire did not last very long and was placed under control in about 10 minutes.

But it was a full 10 minutes of tragic drama as firefighters and neighbors all failed in their attempts to rescue the people trapped inside the wooden house.

Some of those inside were on the verge of being rescued, like Helen, whose hand was already in the grip of neighbors but failed to get through the iron grills that covered the windows and eventually suffocated in the acrid smoke and lost consciousness, falling to the floor and there to be consumed by the angry flames.

Eng-Eng was found inside a second floor comfort room locked in a tight embrace with her three grandchildren — Karen, Ada Marie and Arvin.

One of their siblings, Archie Chua, 19, would probably have met the same fate had he not been out attending a party.

Archie got home just as the fire was at its apex and it took several neighbors to subdue and restrain him from rushing in to try and save his brother Arjohn, who he saw clearly from the window waving and shouting for help in vain.

The charred remains of Arjohn were later found near where he had been screaming for help. Near him was the similarly charred body of Kenneth Jr.

Cogon-Pardo barangay councilwoman Concepcion Dacayana said one of her nephews also managed to grab hold of the hand of one of the children but could not get through the iron grills and the child also eventually fell unconscious and let go.

Dacayana said two of Eng-Eng’s children, Helen and Allan, lived with her and their families.

Allan and Helen’s husband Kenneth Que were in Zamboanga City on a business trip at the time of the fire. Both rushed home yesterday morning to the tragic remains of their families.

Allan’s wife Janeth also cheated death when she spent the night in the other family home in Lapulapu City.

A vault where money and important documents were kept survived the fire.

Dacayana said most of the neighborhood was already asleep when shouts of " fire fire " awakened them. When the people roused from their sleep rushed out, they say the Chua home already engulfed in flames.

An explosion punctuated the fire, probably caused by an exploding lpg tank.

A neighbor who is a teacher of one of the children said two of the kids were supposed to graduate from elementary and high school this week at a local Chinese school.

Fire investigator Felix Romero said the fire was placed under control in just 10 minutes and was over very quickly. But the brief fire did not prepare them for the tragedy written all over the smoldering embers.

The cause of the fire was still not known as of press time last night and Cebu City fire marshal Ismael Codilla said it was too early to rule out anything, including arson.

Codilla also reiterated his call to the public against installing grills on their windows as these could hamper fire fighting and rescue efforts.

Property damage was initially placed at around P1 million. – Flor Perolina and Ian Edwin Melecio/JST