Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 11) – A fire that razed a residential area in Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong City took the lives of two children and rendered 120 residents from 30 families homeless, authorities reported Saturday.
According to Brgy. Captain Carlito Cernal, the blaze started around 7 a.m. that day in Block 37 extension.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the fire started from the second floor of a three-storey makeshift house in the barangay.
“Doon sa bahay na pinangyarihan masikip ‘yung lugar so mayroon tayong dalawang casualty na nasunog na bata, isang 8 years old at isang 5 years old,” he said.
[Translation: In the house where the incident took place, the place was crowded so we have two casualties, children who were burned, an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old.]
The initial report showed that three boys were sleeping in the third floor of their house when the fire took place.
“Noong nakita nilang nasusunog yung baba nila, ginising niya (9 years old) ‘yung mga kapatid niya. ‘Yung 8 years old bumaba doon sa pinangyarihan ng sunog, doon siya na-trap,” the barangay captain said.
[Translation: When they saw the ground level of their house was on fire, he (9 years old) woke up his brothers, the 8-year-old sibling went down to the scene of the fire and was trapped there.]
Cernal said the older brother who survived the tragedy tried to bring his 5-year-old brother and escape to the roof, but the latter was too scared to move.
“Pati yung 5 years old na-trap din,\” he said. \”Kaya ‘yung kuya, ‘yung 9 years old, iyak nang iyak nagsisisi siya dun sa pangyayari hindi niya na-save ‘yung kanyang mga kapatid.”
[Translation: Even the 5 years old was also trapped. That’s why the older brother, the 9 years old, kept crying over the incident that he couldn’t save his brothers.]
With around 10 houses burned, the BFP placed the amount of damage at ₱150,000.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
In 2020, a fire with the highest alarm level struck the same barangay in Mandaluyong City. Although there were no fatalities recorded, the BFP said some 800 establishments and houses were burned, affecting some 2,000 families.
