Tondo fire claims life of 24-year-old man; another fire destroys building in Caloocan

A 30-minute fire in Tondo, Manila killed a 24-year-old man after he was reportedly trapped inside the second floor of their burning three-story house.

Arson investigator Fire Officer 3 Jojo Magallanes identified the victim as Louie Cruz, of 739 Pavia Street.

Arson investigators said Cruz succumbed to suffocation and heat after he was trapped on the second floor near the terrace of the house.

Magallanes said Cruz was alone in the house after his relatives left for Cavite to visit their kins.

According to initial investigation, the fire started at the victim’s house at 12:48 p.m. and soon spread to four other adjacent houses.

It reached the fifth alarm at 12:55 p.m. and was put out at 1:35 p.m.

Probers placed the amount of damage at P200,000 as the cause of the fire is still being determined.

In other developments, a two-story residential building was destroyed including a brand new luxury car when a fire reportedly caused by a faulty electrical wiring broke out in Caloocan City early morning yesterday.

Filipino-Chinese businessman Homer Totia Que, 47, lost millions of pesos in the 30-minute fire that gutted his residence at 9 corner 6th and 7th streets, Grace Park, Caloocan City.

Fire Officer 3 Arvin David said that the blaze started at about 5:15 a.m. at Que’s garage containing his four vehicles.

The fire rapidly engulfed the house made up mostly of wooden materials.

Firefighters put off the blaze which reached the third alarm at about 5:40 a.m.

Fire Officer I Fernando Caballas said that Que lost almost everything inside his house including his brand new Mitsubishi Pajero.

No one was reported hurt in the said incidents, Caballas added. – Mike Frialde and Pete Laude