3 siblings die in QC blaze

MANILA, Philippines - Three children were killed when flames razed shanties in a slum area in Quezon City yesterday in the latest of a series of similar incidents that had a fire official tag the deaths of victims as “alarming.”

The charred remains of siblings Danila, seven, and Danzell Mercado, four, were found after the last of the flames were put out early morning yesterday, said city fire marshal Senior Superintendent Bobby Baruelo.

Baruelo said this sight confirmed the fear of the children’s father, Danilo, who had been frantic since the flames broke out late night on Friday in Barangay Holy Spirit.

According to Baruelo, Danilo went out to moonlight as a village watchman and left the two children sleeping in their house. The mother, who had reportedly just given birth, was in the hospital.

At around 7 a.m. yesterday, the remains of a nine-year-old child, initially identified only as CJ, were also found. He reportedly went back to the burning area to look for his father but never got out alive. He was initially reported as missing until his charred body was found. 

Before the fatal fire in Quezon City, similar incidents happened earlier this week in Las Piñas, San Juan and Manila.

“These incidents wherein children are trapped in burning houses, it’s becoming alarming,” Baruelo said in an interview.

Baruelo said the flames broke out at past 11 p.m. at the heart of the slum area, where the house of the Mercados was situated. The community was located near Sandiganbayan. 

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the flames but Baruelo said it could not have been electrical in nature since the area had no power connection at that time.

He reportedly left a candle lit in the house.

According to Baruelo, some 50 houses were gutted by the flames, rendering around 150 families homeless. The flames were placed under control at past 1 a.m. The official placed the amount of damage at P1 million.