Teacher, 3 kids die in Iloilo fire

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A teacher and her three children died in a fire that destroyed their house in Dumangas, Iloilo yesterday.

The bodies of Rhea Padios, 38; her sons Hienz Michael, 7, and Hera Earl, 6, and daughter Hanly Eslestine, 3, were found in their bedroom in Barangay Pagdugue.

Fire Senior Inspector Michael Salvacion, town fire station chief, said they received a call at around 4:45 a.m.

“Based on our observation, the mother could have attempted to open the steel matting window to escape,” Salvacion said.

Probers said the fire spread easily as the house, with a floor area of 40 square meters, was made of light materials.

The victims were sleeping in a double-deck bed when the fire broke out.

The fire was declared out at around 5:19 a.m.

Reports said Padios’ husband, an overseas Filipino worker, was in Metro Manila when the incident occurred.