Remains of 4 family members found inside burned home in CDO
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Firefighters on Saturday retrieved four bodies belonging to a family, who were trapped inside their home when a fire broke out in an urban village here three days ago.
FO3 Jesreel Lasaga said they received information that the cadavers of four persons were still inside the gutted house in Barangay 22.
Lasaga said the fire that razed two houses Wednesday night also killed a family of four. He identified the victims as Ador Ayangod, 50; his wife Juliet, 50; and their children Joseph, 20, and Esther, 18.
The husband was said to be an international seafarer while the wife worked in a private company based in the city. During Wednesday’s fire, Lasaga said neighbors saw Ayangod run outside asking for help.
Witnesses said it was possible that he went back inside the house to save his family. He was never seen again. When they responded, Lasaga said they didn’t see anyone inside the burning house and it was likely that the Ayangods were already buried by the debris when firefighters gained access inside.
After the incident, the fire department thought no one died from the incident. It was only on Saturday that they were able to confirm that there were casualties.
“Neighbors were complaining of a stench coming from inside the Ayangod residence, but they thought it was just a dead dog,” he said.
Lasaga said one of the victims was found in the kitchen, one was at a bedroom on the second floor lying face down on the bed, and two bodies were in the toilet. They were charred beyond recognition.
“We are still investigating the cause of death. We are requesting the relatives for an autopsy,” he said.
Ciano Gocotano, a neighbor who found one of the bodies, said he went inside the Ayangod residence to douse the smoke that emanated from the house.
“I asked permission from our barangay chairman to enter the house. When I got there, a foul odor greeted me,” he said.
Gocotano said he took a closer look and when he was able to determine that the body was human, he reported it to the barangay chairman. He said that the Ayangods usually kept to themselves and didn’t mingle with their neighbors.