Woman, grandchild die in Alegria fire

A woman and her six-month-old grandson were killed when a fire gutted their house in barangay Madridejos, Alegria town, yesterday dawn. It was the second to hit the barangay in just a week.

The victims were identified as Cerena Bustamante, 48, and her grandson, Paul Ace Bustamante, all residents of sitio Sangi.

Responding elements of Alegria Police Station said the fire occurred inside the house of the victims while they were sleeping around 2:30 in the morning.

The town has no fire truck except for the firecycle with two fire extinguishers that the provincial government had recently provided.

A fire truck from Badian town arrived after 20 minutes followed by another fire truck from Malabuyoc 10 minutes later. A fire truck from Moalboal town arrived about 3:30 in the morning but the house was already burned.

Police investigators said the charred bodies of the victims were found at the sala of the house.

PO2 Walter Macasling, of the Badian Police Station, who conducted the investigation, estimated the damage at about P100,000. He said electrical short circuit was the possible cause of the fire.

Last June 6, a fire razed the house of Florencio Sarpacio in sitio Alangasil of the same barangay with the damage was pegged at P400,000.

Unlike the second fire, no one was injured in the first incident, which was reportedly caused by faulty electrical wiring. - Gregg M. Rubio