3 kids die in Iloilo fire

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Three siblings died in a fire that destroyed their house in a remote village in Maasin, Iloilo on Wednesday night.

The victims were two boys aged six and one, and their five-year-old sister.

The children were trapped in their house located in Barangay Dalusan.

Reports said two of the victims could not walk due to polio.

The victims’ elder sisters aged 12 and eight were able to run out of the house with their youngest sibling.

Senior Fire Officer 3 Lyra Villafranca, acting fire marshal of the Maasin Bureau of Fire Protection, said the fatalities were rushed to the Federico Roman Tirador Sr. Memorial District Hospital in Janiuay town for treatment of burns.

One died while undergoing treatment while the  others were transferred to the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City.

Villafranca said they received the fire call at around 10:46 p.m.

“Residents said they heard popping and crackling sounds at around 10:20 p.m. We presumed the fire started at 10 p.m.,” Villafranca said.

She said the house was totally gutted when firefighters arrived in the village located some 12 kilometers from the town proper.

Fire trucks had difficulty reaching the scene as there was no access for a four-wheel vehicle.

Reports said the children’s parents had gone to a neighbor’s wake, located some 200 meters away from their house. The children’s mother said she forgot to douse a fire pit that she made to ward off mosquitos.

She said she placed the fire pit near the stairs of their house, which was made of light materials.