By MINKA TIANGCO
Six people, including a mother and her three young children, died while six others were injured during a fire that struck a residential area in Tondo, Manila, Thursday.
Inspector John Joseph Jalique, chief investigator of the Manila Fire Department, identified the fatalities as Odessa Conde, 36; her children Yhexel George Nicholas, 10; Yara Courtney, 9, and Yancy Kieffer, 8; Jean Paul Esguerra, 42; and Aquelina Habana, 44.
The injured were identified as George Conde, 43, Odessa’s husband; J-I Conde, 52; Aldrin delos Reyes, 28; Edith Castro, 64; Eliza Loteyro, 70, who all suffered second degree burns on different parts of the body; and Evangeline Loteyro, 70, who sustained a first degree burn on the shoulder.
Jalique said about 40 families were rendered homeless by the fire that destroyed 20 structures. Damage to property was pegged at P100,000.
Investigation showed that the fire started at the second floor of the Loteyros’ house at about 2:38 a.m.
The blaze reached first alarm at 2:40 a.m. and quickly escalated to third alarm less than 20 minutes later. It was declared under control at 3:53 a.m. and was put out at 7:14 a.m.
Fire investigators are still determining the cause of fire, Jalique said.
