5-yr-old boy dies in fire

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — A five-year-old boy died after being trapped inside during an early morning fire that razed their house at Barangay Mansilingan, this city, Wednesday.

Fire Officer 2 John Stewart Mondido of the city’s Bureau of Fire Protection identified the lone fatality as Mars Arnado of Tikling Street at JJ Gonzaga Subdivision in the barangay.

Mondido said Mars and his five siblings were inside the house when the fire broke out at 4:30 a.m., and that their parents were at their store near the Regional Training School, which was also near their house.

The eldest, a 16-year-old girl, was the one who woke up her siblings when the fire, which originated from the kitchen, struck. All five ran outside, except for Mars.

Mondido said fire investigators were still probing the incident and their initial findings showed the cause may be electrical in nature. He added the fire left an estimated damage of P50,000. — (FREEMAN)