A 22-year-old call center agent died in a fire that broke out in a residential apartment in Barangay Concepcion Uno, Marikina City on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Firefighters respond to a first-alarm fire at a residential apartment in Marikina City. (Photo from BFP NCR Marikina City)
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the fire reached first alarm at around 5:06 p.m. It allegedly started in the second-floor hallway near the stairs of the apartment on Ariane Street.
The Marikina City Police Station said the victim was trapped in a second-floor room while sleeping. It added that his companions or friends, most of them also BPO workers staying in the apartment, may have panicked when the fire started and did not realize he was still inside.
It added that the victim and the others were likely working night shifts, so they may have been sleeping when the fire broke out.
Firefighters and volunteers were able to extinguish the blaze at 5:33 p.m.
The BFP said the fire caused around P50,000 in property damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.