Fire kills family of 4 in Marikina

MANILA, Philippines — A police officer and three members of his family died when a fire razed their house in Marikina City at dawn yesterday.

The bodies of Police Officer 3 Romar Sumait, 27, his wife Glendolly? Rose, 27, and their children Kaizer Lee, 6, and Kenzie Faye, 3, were recovered after the fire.

Sumait’s one-year-old son was at the home of their relatives when the fire broke out, according to Eastern Police District director Chief Superintendent Bernabe Balba.

?Sumait was assigned with the Philippine National Police Crime?Laboratory at Camp Crame. His wife worked as an assessor at the Marikina city hall.

Reports said the fire originated from a burger store beside the Sumait family’s two-story house along Divino street in Barangay Sto. Niño at around 2:47?a.m.

Neighbors said the Sumaits were trapped on the second floor of the house.

“They were not able to escape as the windows had iron grills,” they said.

Arson probers said ?the fire was declared under control at around 3:39 a.m.?

The blaze destroyed four other houses in the area.

Damage to property was placed at P200,000.

In Valenzuela City, a vendor died of cardiac arrest when a fire razed stalls at the Polo public market along Sebastian street. 

Police identified the fatality as Lorenzo Primavera, 53.

At least 20 fire trucks responded to contain the blaze.  – With Marc Jayson Cayabyab