Cebu City (CNN Philippines) — A mother and three of her children — including a three-week old infant — perished during a 4 a.m. blaze that struck shanties on N. Bacalso Ave. in downtown Cebu City on Saturday (May 7).
When the fire settled past 6 a.m., firefighters found the remains of the 22-year-old mother embracing her children at a corner of the second floor ruins of the house they were renting. Her live-in partner was at work when the fire broke out.
Three other individuals perished during the early morning blaze. According to the Cebu City Fire Department, a 70-year-old man, his granddaughter, and a 37-year-old woman died. They were living a floor below the mother and children.
Investigators said the fire may have started from the house where the victims were living.
Those who were staying in the first floor were using kerosene lamps at night. Neighbors believe that the lamps were the cause of the fire — but authorities have not yet finished their investigation.
Witnesses said that the victims were not able to escape, as the fire engulfed the entrance of the house.
The blaze destroyed around 80 homes and damaged apartments across the creak near the dried fish area of Taboan Public Market.
