Two senior citizens, a 70-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, were killed in a fire that hit a residential area at the corner of D. Gomez Street and Sandico Street in Barangay Tejeros, Makati City, early Saturday morning, Jan. 24, Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay confirmed.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the blaze started at around 1:57 a.m., was raised to the second alarm at 1:59 a.m., and escalated to the third alarm at 2:35 a.m.
Firefighters declared the fire out at 6:40 a.m.
In addition to the fatalities, six other individuals required medical attention: a 24-year-old man who sustained abrasion wounds, a 37-year-old woman who experienced weakness of the body, an 81-year-old man who is suffering from dementia, a 25-year-old woman who also sustained abrasion wounds on her elbows, a 20-year-old woman who experienced dizziness, and a 50-year-old woman who had a seizure.
Meanwhile, the Makati Social Welfare Department (MSWD) said 185 families, equivalent to 502 individuals, were severely affected by the fire.
Arson investigators are still investigating the cause of the fire and the cost of damage to property.