Six individuals, including a senior citizen and two minors, died in a fire that broke out in a residential area on Blumentritt Road in Sampaloc, Manila, on Saturday morning, December 7, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) confirmed.
The identities of the fatalities are still being withheld by the authorities. Three bodies were found on the third floor and the three others on the ground floor.
According to the initial report, the fire quickly escalated and reached the second alarm at 2:50 a.m.
At least 12 firetrucks responded to control the blaze.
Firefighters managed to extinguish it at 4:24 a.m.
Based on the initial investigation, the fire was allegedly caused by faulty electrical wires on the third floor of a four-story residential building.
Arson investigators said the fire affected nine families or 27 individuals and damaged around P120,000 worth of property.
Manila Mayor John Marvin “Yul Servo” Nieto visited the site around 10 a.m. to check the situation of the affected families.
He said they are working to provide assistance to the families of the deceased victims and the other residents who were displaced by the fire.