By JHON CASINAS
Two elderly women perished in a fire that hit a residential area in Tondo, Manila on Christmas Eve.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) identified the fatalities as sisters Florencia Hernandez, 88, and Consorcia Ramos, 82, who were reportedly trapped inside their burning house.
Lawyer Santiago Ramos Hernandez, 83, husband of Florencia, sustained second degree burns on both his arms and the back portion of his body and head.
Initial investigation showed that the fire originated on the ground floor level of the victims’ two-story residence on Sto. Cristo Street in Tondo early Thursday morning.
Fire fighters were able to control the fire that reached the first alarm at around 4:34 a.m. and was declared out at 4:52 a.m.
The BFP said the fire destroyed three houses, and left six families homeless this Christmas.
Authorities pegged the fire damage at P200,000.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.