Dead man in a casket burned as fire razes 3 houses

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — People attending a wake scampered to their safety, leaving behind the dead person inside a coffin, when they noticed fire was eating up portion of the house at purok Masanagon in Barangay Mangnao, Dumaguete City yesterday dawn.

A passing motorist reported the fire to the city's Bureau of Fire Protection at around 2:25 a.m., and when firefighters arrived, the fire already ate up three houses, of mixed materials, and partially burned a fourth one.

Fire Officer 1 Mark Susaña, incident investigator, said the cause of the fire is still being investigated with no estimates yet on the damage. He however said it did not start at the house where the wake was held.

Although placed inside a metal casket, the remains of the late Edward Alubja shrunk ang burned beyond recognition, Susaña said.

Initial investigations disclosed the fire started at the house of Rodrigo Pacija, then spread to the next house owned by Estelita Pacija, where vigil was going on for her husband Edward who died recently.

The fire then engulfed the adjacent house of Bonifacio Organista, and partially damaged the house of Rosalina Corsame, in time of the arrival of the firefighters. (FREEMAN)