Woman killed, mother injured in morning blaze in Compostela

CEBU, Philippines - A 40-year-old mentally-challenged woman died while her mother was injured in a fire that struck their house in Sitio Lutao, Barangay Estaca, Compostela yesterday morning.

The woman was reportedly chained inside a room of their house for the past 20 years.

Her mother, Luciana Mahinay, 60, was doing the laundry when she heard a loud crackle inside the house at 8:36 a.m., prompting her to check. But thick smoke greeted her when she went upstairs.

Mahinay tried to rescue her daughter but failed as fire already engulfed the room.

SFO2 Tomas Piñas, investigator at Compostela Fire Station, initially eyed electrical defect as possible cause of the fire, which burned 11 other houses made of light materials.

Piñas said Mahinay told him that their main electrical switch had defects, which might not have been properly fixed by the electrician last week.

Firemen reportedly arrived late as residents tried to put out the fire but were unsuccessful.

“Nagtinabangay pa sila ug pawong pero paminaw nila nga murag dili na kaya mao pay pagpanawag og bombero,” Piñas said in a phone interview.

Firefighters even found it hard to enter the area because of narrow roads and that they had to connect fire hoses together.

“Mga 15 to 20 meters siguro gikan sa fire truck unya rough road pa gyud,” Piñas said.

The fire, which was raised to first alarm, was controlled within seven minutes and was totally put out at 9:00 a.m.

 Piñas pegged the damaged at P300,000.

The affected families were temporarily housed at the barangay hall.  — (FREEMAN)