QC prober: Fire victims' house a deathtrap

MANILA, Philippines -  An arson investigator said yesterday a family of four and two helpers who were killed in last Monday’s fire lived in a duplex that was practically a “deathtrap.”

Senior Fire Officer 1 Rosendo Cabillan said there were structures in the house that prevented the six members of the household from escaping the fire. Cabillan is among the arson investigators looking into the incident in Barangay Central, Quezon City.

He said there were two gates at the back of the house, both locked, and no fire exit on the second floor.

Cabillan said the members of the family could have gotten out through the second-floor windows, but they had steel grills that prevented the victims from saving themselves.

Cardiologist Dr. Elson Sedilla, 50; his wife Susan, 50, a non-practicing pediatrician; and their two daughters Janina Nicole, 20, and Patricia Ann, 17; and helpers Lenlen de Leon, 27, and Anna de Leon, 30, perished in the fire.

Cabillan stressed that investigation is still ongoing to determine the cause of the flames that enveloped the two-story duplex before dawn Monday even if there was a possibility that there was foul play involved.

Cabillan said he saw no external injuries such as stab or gunshot wounds on the bodies.

He also said they still cannot determine whether it was really the Starex van that was the spot where the flames originated. He said the other vehicle parked in the garage, an Isuzu Trooper, appeared to have sustained more damage than the Starex van.