Man injured after rescuing niece from fire

CEBU, Philippines - A man was injured after saving his 14-year-old niece when a fire razed the house of his sister Tuesday evening in Barangay San Isidro, San Fernando.

Eden Manlusa, 29, suffered first degree burns on his left arm for saving Lovella Bacusmo who was inside the room at that time. Manlusa also took some of the appliances out of the house.

Made of light materials, the house owned by Flordeliz Bacusmo, 34 was totally razed by the fire after a candle fell on their clothes inside the room.

Senior Fire Officer 4 Virgilio Gilig, San Fernando fire investigator, said the fire started inside the room where Lovella allegedly lighted a candle and placed it near their clothes.

“Posible nga nag-melt sa mga sinina ang kandila unya natumba ngadto,” Gilig said.

Neighbors who saw the fire sought help from Eden who was living nearby and who eventually rushed inside the house and rescued Lovella causing him to sustain burns.

Gilig said the house was almost totally burned when they arrived minutes after they received a telephone call at 7:17 in the evening. The narrow road leading towards the house made it difficul for the firemen to respond immediately.

“Dugay man sad sila kapanawag namo unya ang balay naa sa interior portion,” he said.

Flordeliz, the girl’s mother and a public school teacher at the Pardo Elementary School, was not around during the incident.

The family has been using candles after their electricity was cut off a week ago for failure to settle their electric bills.

 San Fernando Fire Station estimated the damage cost at P40,000. – (FREEMAN)