Six persons, including four minors, were killed when a fire of still unknown origin broke out in a three-story building in Paranaque City, police said on Thursday.
The fatalities were identified as Ana Donna Agrasada, 23; Marie Joy de Jesus, 28, and the four minors namely Lon-lon, 6-yr old; Don-Don, 4; Jomarie, 7, and Daniel, 9, all residents of Bahay na Bato, Quirino Avenue in Barangay Tambo.
Southern Police District director Tomas Apolinario said the fire started around 4:17 p.m. Wednesday and reached the third alarm. Responding firemen declared the fire out after about six hours, he added.
Apolinario said more than P50,000 worth of properties were destroyed by the blaze. The cadavers of the victims were brought to funeral parlors while the complete names of the minors is being made, he added.
Arson investigators have not yet established the cause of the blaze, but some residents believed it was caused by faulty electrical installation.
The national government has urged the community and business establishments in Metro Manila to practice fire safety precautions “to avoid the detrimental effects of fire accidents.”
It also asked local government officials to make fire safety awareness a year-round concern to ensure that communities and households are safe and not only during the Fire Prevention Month.
Records showed that most of the fires happened mostly due to fault electrical lines, unattended gas lamps and cooking stoves, and overheating appliances.