Fire hits Belmonte compound

An hour-long fire broke out in the house of House Speaker and mayor-elect Feliciano Belmonte Jr.’s mother-in-law in Quezon City on Sunday afternoon.

Arson investigators said no one was reported hurt in the fire that started at around 3:24 p.m. in the house occupied by Belmonte’s mother-in-law, Felisa Go.

Mrs. Go’s three-story house is inside the Belmonte compound at 1497 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue near corner Judge Jimenez street in Quezon City. It is the same compound, where the House Speaker and his family reside.

Senior Fire Officer 4 Mariano Quirante told The STAR that the fire started on the third floor of the three-story Go residence in the bedroom of Mrs. Go.

"Buti na lang, nasa kabilang bahay si Mrs. Go sa loob ng compound nung magsimula ang sunog," (It’s a good thing Mrs. Go was in the other house in the compound when the fire broke out), Quirante noted.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze at around 4:34 p.m.

Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire and the value of the damage. – Cecille Suerte Felipe