School principal dies in fire

CEBU, Philippines - A public secondary school principal was found charred inside his room after an early morning fire razed his house at sitio Cantecson, barangay Gairan, Bogo City yesterday.

Jose Embert Catarata, 43, single and principal of Udlot National High School, was sleeping when the fire believed to have been caused by a faulty electrical wiring started in the living room of his house.

The Bogo City Fire Department received the alarm about 1:00 in the morning. It was raised to second alarm. The fire was controlled about 20 minutes before it was totally put out at 2:00 a.m. with an estimated damage of P300,000.

At least two fire trucks helped put out the blaze.

Senior Fire Officer 1 Eduardo Sotto said Catarata woke up and shouted for help before he collapsed a few meters away from his bed.

Firemen found it hard to rescue Catarata because all the windows of his concrete, bungalow-type house had iron grills.

“Maglisod na siya og gawas wala na siya’y kaagian kay dako naman ang kayo,” Sotto said.

Sotto told The FREEMAN that a live wire was attached to the iron grills at the window of the living room. He suspects that because of the heavy rain, the wire got wet.

 Several octopus wiring connections inside the house also spread the fire easily.

Dr. Minerva Miller of Bogo City Health Center said Catarata died of suffocation.

Catarata’s remains now lies at St. Peter Funeral Parlor in barangay Cogon. (FREEMAN)