5 dead, 3 injured in Corinthian Gardens fire

MANILA, Philippines — Five members of a family died and three others were injured in a fire at the Corinthian Gardens Subdivision in Quezon City yesterday.

Gilbert Yu, 65; his wife Charito, 62; their daughter, Abigail; his sister-in-law Rita, 57; and Rita’s son, Ryan, were trapped when a fire broke out on the second floor of their two-story house at the exclusive village in Barangay Ugong Norte at around 1:57 a.m., the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said.

Six other members of the family survived the fire, three of whom were brought to a hospital for treatment of their injuries. Cheryl Yu, 27, sustained injuries on her arms and knees while Richard Yu, 66, and Stephanie Yu were brought to a hospital due to difficulty in breathing.

The fire reached second alarm before it was put out at around 5:25 a.m. Probers said the blaze destroyed P60 million worth of property.

There were unconfirmed reports of an explosion on the second floor but probers have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

Firefighters had difficulty entering the house as it was secured by grills. The windows were also thick, probers said.

No other houses were affected by the fire, according to the BFP.

A total of 32 fire trucks, 16 from the BFP and 16 from volunteer groups, and two ambulances rushed to the scene.

A statement from the village’s management denied allegations from circulated text messages that the security guards did not immediately allow firefighters to enter the subdivision and subjected them first to a temperature check as a precaution against COVID-19.

“All our gates were wide open to accommodate them so they can assist,” it said in a statement.