Fire investigators identified the victim as Robert Castro, 63, of 227 del Pilar st., Barangay Tenejeros, Malabon.
Castro, a councilman of Barangay Tenejeros, died of suffocation when he was trapped inside his house as the blaze engulfed eight adjacent houses on Pilar street.
Firefighters retrieved Castro’s body from the comfort room, prompting authorities to theorize that the victim, while trying to save some belongings, experienced difficulty in breathing and sought refuge inside the comfort room.
Witnesses told arson investigators that the fire started at the house of a certain Jocelyn Gayosa at around 6:51 p.m. The fire destroyed an estimated P5 million worth of property.
Despite their calls for the victim to save himself, Castro’s relatives said the victim ignored them and tried to save some of their appliances.
"Castro braved the flames and thick smoke just to save their valuables, but unfortunately he did not make it," said Senior Inspector Sixto Bautista, fire marshal of Malabon.
Bautista said the fire, of still unknown origin, reached alarm level Task Force Delta and gutted at least eight houses.
Local firefighters in Malabon had difficulty containing the fire and had to be reinforced by firefighters from neighboring towns before the blaze was contained at around 8:40 p.m. – Cecile Suerte Felipe and Pete Laude