Superintendent Mateo Casupang, city deputy police chief, identified the fatality as Melanio Orit, 29, and the injured as his neighbors Marivic Ricalde, 41, and her children Joshua Ricalde, 4, and Jasmin Ricalde, five months old.
The Ricaldes were in a nearby house which the fire also gutted together with two other houses. They were rushed to the Villaflor Hospital here for medical treatment.
Investigation showed that the fire started in the house of a certain Charlie Bonobra where an explosion reportedly occurred.
Orit was reportedly alone in Bonobra’s house when the incident happened.
Casupang said the burnt houses were located near a house which the police raided last Dec. 28 and seized several sacks of potassium nitrate and other firecracker substances lacking the necessary permits or licenses. A barangay kagawad was arrested during the raid. — With Cesar Ramirez