David Chapell, 47, was found dead in the living room of his house at Block 18 Lot 10 Queensland Subdivision 2, Novaliches, Quezon City, minutes after a ‘fire out’ was declared.
Arson investigators believed Chapell died of suffocation. His body will be autopsied to determine the real cause of his death.
They said the victim could be very drunk when the fire started at around 5:10 a.m. because several bottles of beer were found on the floor of the living room.
SFO4 Lauro Adordionisio, of the Quezon City Fire Investigation section, said the ground floor of Chapell’s house was already on fire when firefighters arrived, as neighbors were trying to put out the fire with pails of water. The fire was declared out at around 5:29 a.m.
The ground floor of the house was totally damaged. Damage to property was estimated at P100,000, including appliances and furniture burned during the 20-minute fire.
Ester Chapell, wife of the victim, said she, her children and a housemaid were sleeping in the bedroom on the second floor when they were awakened by thick smoke coming from the living room.
She said she and her children got up and rushed to the stairs but the fire was beginning to spread in the living room.
According to her, she and her children and a housemaid wrapped themselves in a wet blanket and ran out. She thought her husband was already out of the house.
Arson investigators said the fire could have been caused by an unattended lighted cigarette of the victim.– Pia Lee Brago