Man dies, 2 hurt in apartment fire

A 55-year-old man was killed while two others suffered third degree burns during a fire that razed a two-story apartment in Pasig City yesterday.

Arson probers said faulty electrical wiring may have caused the fire. The fatality, Serafin Magtaos, was trapped in his room in the apartment located at Interior F.B. Fernando street in Barangay De la Paz. He sustained third degree burns and may have suffocated to death, said arson prober Aloveel Ferrer of the Pasig City Fire Department.

The two other victims, Felix Buan, a security guard, and Marissa Agas, a boarder, suffered third degree burns while fleeing the burning edifice. They are now being treated at the Pasig City General Hospital.

Ferrer said the fire started in the ceiling of a shoe factory at the ground floor of the apartment, The unit was occupied by Fernando Magtaos, a brother of the victim.

Buan said he tried to put out the fire but strong winds fanned the flames and spread to shoe-making materials and other flammable chemicals inside the shoe factory.

Ferrer said he rushed up the second floor to rouse the victim from his sleep but he was not able to get inside his room because of the thick smoke.

Some 22 firetrucks from Pasig City and nearby towns and cities joined forces to put the fire under control an hour later. The firemen were able to prevent the fire from damaging three adjacent apartments.

Rebecca Trinidad, 50, the owner of the four-door apartment, estimated the damage at P.5 million. – Non Alquitran