Corpse saved from Muntinlupa blaze

Concerned neighbors prevented a corpse from being burned in a 90-minute fire that razed 12 houses and displaced some 40 people in Muntinlupa City last Sunday afternoon.

Senior Fire Officer 3 Renato Santiago, arson investigator, said neighbors carried the casket containing the body of Zeny Bauzon when a fire broke out in a squatter’s area at the Esporlas Compound in Barangay Putatayan, Muntinlupa City.

"Nobody died or was injured as a result of the fire, but one was already dead even before it started," Santiago said.

A wake was being held for Bauzon at a house close to the one where the fire originated. "We later saw some men carry the coffin to a safe place, away from the flames," Santiago said.

The blaze started at around 3:47 p.m., was placed under control by 4:50 p.m. and was finally put out by 5:15 p.m. It reached the third alarm.

From the second floor of the first house, the flames spread to 12 nearby houses, which provided shelter to 20 families, or about 40 people.

But instead of cheers, the firefighters received hostile treatment from residents who criticized them for not responding quickly enough.

The firefighters said it was not their fault while admitting they had difficulty putting out the blaze because of the narrow streets.

"We had to connect water hoses together to reach the fire since our trucks could not get close to the houses," Santiago said.

Based on the initial investigation, he said, the fire could have been caused by an overload in electrical installations.

"There were also a lot of people with illegal connections. That might have caused the fire. Often times, small houses have numerous electric appliances," Santiago said. – Evelyn Macairan