An 11-month-old baby was among five people who died after a fire swept through a two-story apartment building in Barangay 8 before dawn Sunday, August 2.
The fatalities, three females and two males, included a mother and her child, who were trapped inside as flames spread through the structure.
Firefighters from the Bureau of Fire Protection said the blaze broke out at around 1:01 a.m. along Sinilyasi Street in the Dagat-Dagatan area.
Investigators said the fire likely started on the ground floor, where an auto repair shop was located, before rapidly reaching the upper level.
Despite being declared only at first alarm, the fire generated intense heat, triggering electrical wires nearby to explode and damaging sections of the second floor made of mixed materials.
The blaze was placed under control by 1:24 a.m. and declared out at 2:04 a.m.
A total of 25 fire trucks, including units from the BFP and volunteer brigades, responded along with two ambulances.
As responders recovered the victims, distraught relatives and neighbors gathered outside the burned building.
Some displaced families have been given temporary shelter at the barangay hall.
Initial damage was pegged at around P500,000.
Residents who survived the fire said they lost all their belongings.
Authorities are still working to determine the exact cause of the fire.