Woman, 31, charred in fire

CEBU, Philippines - A 31-year-old woman who is said to be suffering from mental problems died in a blaze that engulfed her house early morning yesterday in the mountain barangay of Daantabogon, Tabogon town.

Flordeliza Guinuo could have escaped had her parents did not padlock the door of the house leaving her alone inside.

Her parents, Felixberto Guinuo, 59, and Teodora Guinuo, 57, were attending to their stall at the Daantabogon Elementary School, about 300 meters away from their house when the incident happened.

Tabogon Police Station received the alarm at 9:58 a.m.

Neighbors of the victim reportedly heard a loud burst before the fire broke out and engulfed the house, which is made of light materials.

Flordeliza was heard crying for help but neighbors could no longer go near the house because the fire was already big.

Neighbors tried to control the fire to save Flordeliza but failed.

The house was already totally burned when Tabogon fire volunteers and fire trucks from Bogo Fire Station, which are about 25 to 30 kilometers away, arrived.

Flordeliza was found charred inside her room.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined while investigators pegged the damage at P10,000.

According to FO1 Archie Estrella of the Bogo Fire Station, upon reaching

the area, they still have to connect at least eight hoses to reach the house as their fire trucks could not pass through the narrow roads.

Estrella explained that the victim was trapped because the door of the house was padlocked.

The police are conducting further investigation to see if they can file charges against the parents of the victim.

Last Saturday, two siblings were found charred inside their house which was gutted by a morning fire in the mountain Sitio of Batching, Barangay Cabadiangan, Compostela.

Bodies of Jolito Dejesica, 14, disabled, and his sister, Maricar Dejesica, 2, were found at the living room of their house as if hugging each other.

Neighbors tried to help putting off the blaze but failed to rescue the children.

Unattended cooking was believed to have caused the fire as the mother, Jocelyn, 38, cooked food at their dirty kitchen that morning.

Jocelyn and her husband were not around at that time.

Embers of the firewood used were fanned by the wind and burned the house.

— (FREEMAN)