Boy killed in Makati blaze

A five-year-old boy was killed when fire hit a crowded residential area in Makati City last Sunday evening.

Makati City fire marshal Superintendent Arsenio Tabajonda identified the fatality as John Lloyd Montalbusio, a resident of 1070 Tipit corner Maya streets in Barangay Rizal,

‘"The boy was burned beyond recognition. He was sleeping at the ground floor. His body was found a foot away from the main door of the house," Tabajonda said.

The fire started at the second floor of the house at 10:24 p.m. The blaze reached the second alarm before it was place under control by 11:30 and declared out at 12:15 a.m.

"When fire broke out, the boy was probably asleep. He was with his young cousins inside the house. The neighbors said the parents were not in the house," the fire marshal added.

There were initial reports that the blaze was caused by an unattended candle. But Tabajonda said the entwined wires could have triggered a short circuit in the electrical system.

A total of 10 houses were destroyed before firefighters could put out the blaze. — Evelyn Macairan