Two perish in fires

Two persons were killed as fire separately raged Wednesday night and early yesterday, one nearly wiping out an entire squatter colony in Pasay City and another only a house in Taguig.

Thousands were rendered homeless in the Pasay blaze in Don Carlos Village, Sto. Niño, that reached Task Force Bravo, resulting in the death of one Rhodora Eusebio, 46. No one else was reported killed or injured in the conflagration that started at 5:54 a.m. and was declared extinguished at 9:05 a.m.

Eusebio was burned beyond recognition. Fire Officer 3 Renato Recto described the neighborhood as crowded.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but investigators pegged the damage to property at P5 million. Most of the homes destroyed were made of light materials occupied by mostly vendor families.

In Taguig, a small fire that destroyed one house resulted in the death of Liza Encinas, 36. Encinas, too, was charred to death but fire investigators are not ready to rule the death to be an accident.

"We are still puzzled about it. According to the victim’s common-law-husband he tried to pull his wife out but she refused. I find that odd," Taguig fire marshal Virgilo dela Paz told The STAR.

Dela Paz said the blaze that totally destroyed the one-story antiquated home at Block 11, Lot 19, 4th st., Signal Village, started from the kitchen. He estimated the damage to property at P150,000.

Encinas’ husband Andres Nad, 41, a retired Philippine Navy personnel was unharmed.

Dela Paz said the fire started at 8:55 p.m. and was put out at 9:42 p.m. The couple were reportedly asleep when the fire broke out.

Encinas’ charred remains was found lying on its back near their room’s door. An autopsy is being conducted on the body.

The site of the fire is actually close to the Taguig fire department but Dela Paz said the narrowness of the road leading to it and the fact that several vehicles were parked on the street along the way slowed them down.