Boy, 17, dies in Carcar fire

Cebu - A 17-year-old boy was electrocuted by a loose wire when responding to a fire that broke inside his relatives’ house Monday night.

Mark Anthony Alisna was declared dead-on-arrival at the Jesus Paras Memorial District Hospital in Carcar City.

The fire that hit the residence of Dante and Lalie Alcoriza was contained in 15 minutes but Alisna sustained severe burns due to electrocution. He was reportedly hit by a loose wire when rushing a pail of water to the second floor where the fire reportedly started.

The couple said Alisna still managed to escape the fire but dropped to the ground unconscious after he got out of the house.

The Alcoriza residence is situated at the back of the public market in barangay Poblacion, barely 300 meters from the fire station. The Carcar City fire department reportedly received the alarm at 7:50 p.m.

The fire truck reportedly could not go near the Alcoriza residence because the house is located at the interior portion of the area. Firefighters then had to connect one hose to another for the water to reach the burning house.

Investigation revealed that an overheating fan at the room of the couple’s 12-year-old daughter at the second floor started the fire. The family was watching TV at the ground floor when they noticed that something sparked at the second floor.

“Sa among pag-imbestigar, gitawag namu og fire pattern ang gisulti sa mga hingtungdan…na coincide jud sa among imbestigasyon nga didto ni nagsugod ang kayo sa taas sa ilang balay kay sa dihang nanan-aw ni sila og T.V. sa silong, nakabantay sila nga naay nikidlap sa taas dayun adunay nibuto,” said SFO1 Shoji Mendaros.

The Alcoriza couple said Alisna has been staying with the family and helping with the household chores for quite sometime already. The boy’s remains now lies at the Tupas Funeral Homes in Carcar City.

Investigators pegged damages at around P200,000. – Christopher Gabriel Bonjoc/JMO (THE FREEMAN)