Six killed as fire hits residential building in Sampaloc, Manila
MANILA, Philippines — Six people were killed when a fire engulfed a four-story residential building in Sampaloc, Manila, early on Saturday morning, Dec. 7.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) was alerted to the blaze that broke out along Blumentritt Street at 2:40 a.m.
BFP said in its on-scene report that firefighters raised the first alarm at 2:49 a.m. and immediately followed this up by raising the second alarm at 2:50 a.m.
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Two children and four elderly individuals from two families died when the building’s second floor collapsed during the blaze, BFP Manila Station 5’s Fire Senior Insp. Cesar Babante said.
“Ang composition ng bahay ay rough finish, then ang flooring sa second floor ay wooden. Kahoy siya. Then nasunog at bumagsak siya,” Babante explained in a radio interview on Saturday.
Article continues after this advertisement(The house was in rough finish, and the flooring on the second floor was wooden. It was made of wood, then it caught fire and collapsed.)
Article continues after this advertisementWhen asked why the victims could not escape from the building, he said, “Wala namang grills ang bintana. Maluwag ang bintana. Siguro dahil madaling araw, kasagsagan ng tulog, baka hindi sila naalarma.”
(The windows had no grills and were wide. Maybe because it happened at dawn when everyone was deeply asleep; they might not have been alerted.)
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BFP did not release details about the victims in its report, while Babante said they were waiting for crime scene operatives to investigate the matter.
The fire was under control by 3:47 a.m. and declared extinguished at 4:24 a.m., an hour and 44 minutes after authorities were notified.
According to the BFP, the fire affected around 27 individuals or nine families and caused about P120,000 in damage.
The fire bureau has yet to determine the cause of the fire. Babante said the incident might have stemmed from electrical wiring issues.
