LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – Two college students were killed and 11 others were injured in a fire that engulfed a boarding house here on Tuesday, July 28.
The fatalities were identified only by their aliases, "Jer," a resident of Sorsogon province, and "Will," from Masbate province. Both were students in a college in Legazpi City.
Injured were alias "Dado," 18, of Matnog, Sorsogon; "Carlo," 19, of Bacacay, Albay; "Jojo," 17, of Masbate; "Fer," 18, of Libon, Albay; "Trish," 17, of Guinobatan, Albay; "Ally," 18, of Masbate City; "Sheen," 22, of Bato, Catanduanes; "Jan," 18, of Libon; "Ken," 17, of Virac, Catanduanes; "Junjun," 17, also of Virac, and "Rey," 21, of Masbate City.
Most of the injured were students of a college here.
Initial investigation revealed that the fire started in an annex law office before spreading to several parked vehicles and eventually reaching the nearby boarding house where the victims were staying.
The incident occurred at around 2:26 a.m. while the victims were asleep.
According to a police report, responding firefighters from the Legazpi City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) discovered the bodies of the two victims who were trapped inside the burning boarding house during retrieval operations.
The victims were taken to the Legazpi City Hospital but were declared dead on arrival.
Authorities are conducting follow-up investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire and damage to property.