American woman dies in Bacolod fire

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – An 87-year-old American woman, who was bedridden due to a brain ailment, died when the house she was temporarily residing in here was hit by a fire that lasted for more than an hour before dawn last Monday.

The charred body of Frances Scharf, a resident of Los Angeles, California and temporarily residing at Royal Palm Subdivision, was recovered by firefighters after the blaze was put out at around 3:18 a.m., said Fire Officer Joey Michael Victoriano.

Injured in the fire was Marie Stephanie Villanueva, 22, daughter of Michael and Virginia Villanueva, owners of the house where Scharf was staying, Victoriano said.

The young Villanueva was in the kitchen when she heard an explosion and crackling sounds from Scharf’s room.

When she opened the room to check, the flames engulfed her. She sustained second-degree burns on her hands, lower legs, and face and was rushed to the Bacolod Doctors’ Hospital, Victoriano said.

Investigators said the fire was caused by an overheated electric fan that had been on in Scharf’s room since Sunday.  

Victoriano said the Villanuevas were former employees of Scharf in the United States. Scharf often visited them here, but during her stay in 2006, she was diagnosed with brain ailment and decided to stay with the Villanuevas, hiring a caregiver to take care of her.