MANILA, Philippines — Two people died in a fire that hit a residential area in Quezon City on Thursday afternoon.
Ernesto Macapagal, 70, and his 17-year-old granddaughter were trapped in their house in Barangay Gulod when it was engulfed by fire, police said.
The victims’ relatives executed a handwritten waiver for the police to pursue further investigation.
A 68-year-old man was brought to a hospital for treatment of second degree burns on his right shoulder.
The fire broke out at around 4:49 p.m. and reached second alarm before it was put out by firefighters at around 6:38 p.m., the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)’s National Capital Region field unit said in a report.
Arson probers said the fire destroyed seven houses, displacing around 15 families who relocated to an evacuation center.
Thirty-two fire trucks and four ambulances responded to the scene, the BFP said.
Arson investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire, which destroyed an estimated P17,500 worth of property.