BACOLOD CITY – A one-year-old baby girl died while her three other siblings survived the fire which razed their house in Barangay Paraiso, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, last Thursday.
Senior Fire Officer 4 Rodney Nadal, city fire marshal officer-in-charge, identified the fatality as Mary Rose Lepangue.
Nadal said the fire broke out around 8 p.m. while the four children were sleeping after having an early dinner.
The victim’s nine-year-old elder brother first noticed the blaze and woke up his younger siblings aged 8 and 5. They all ran outside the house and were unharmed.
Nadal said her elder brother was supposed to return to the house to save his youngest sister, but he was prevented by his uncle because the fire was already too big.
The victim was later found lying on their bamboo floor and was already dead.
Nadal said the mother of the children went out to charge her cellular phone when the incident happened.
Nadal said an unattended kerosene lamp caused the blaze, which destroyed the house made of light materials, owned by Jenny Rose Lepangue. The fire left an estimated P10,000 worth of damage. (Glazyl Masculino)