(Photo courtesy of Philippine Emergency Alerts)
A 15-year-old boy died after re-entering his home to retrieve belongings during a fire that swept through East Riverside Street in Barangay Paltok, Quezon City, on Thursday morning, May 14. The blaze escalated to fourth alarm and trapped him inside.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said in its initial investigation that the boy had already exited the house but reportedly went back inside, where he was unable to make it out again.
Based on fire monitoring, the incident was placed under verification at 9:05 a.m., with visible smoke observed at 9:08 a.m.
It was raised to first alarm at 9:10 a.m., second alarm at 9:11 a.m., third alarm at 9:25 a.m., and reached fourth alarm at 9:34 a.m., as fire units struggled to contain the blaze in the densely populated community.
Authorities placed the fire under control at 10:09 a.m. before it was declared fire out at 10:49 a.m.
The BFP has yet to release the extent of property damage, while investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.