Funeral car catches fire

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A funeral hearse caught fire along the stretch of Barangay Dungon-B in Jaro district of Iloilo City at around 1 p.m. yesterday.

According to reports, Ernesto dela Cruz, Jr. was driving a funeral car (license plate GNL-310) of Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes, when smoke suddenly came out of the dashboard on the passenger’s side, where his companion Jeffrey Adug was seated.

Dela Cruz quickly pulled over the hearse, next to a parked multi-cab (TLF-520). He and Adug immediately alighted and escaped unharmed, but the hearse however got engulfed with flame that spread also into the multi-cab.

Superintendent Jerry Candido, marshal of the Bureau of Fire Protection-Iloilo City, said the hearse was not transporting any dead or coffin at the time of the incident.

Investigation showed that the fire was caused by “an electrical short circuit,” Candido said, adding that burnt wiring was found underneath the dashboard.

On what triggered the short circuit, he said "it could be attributed to several factors," one of which was the vehicle’s wear and tear in its electrical system. The funeral case was a 2012 model, he said.

Candido said estimates of damage to property was pegged at P300,000. (FREEMAN)