Girl, 2, killed in Caloocan blaze

A two-year-old girl died in her sleep after suffocating from smoke and was later engulfed by flames after being left alone by her parents in their shanty Sunday night in Caloocan City.

Probers said that although the fire broke out at 8:40 p.m., the police reported the incident to the local BFP headquarters only at around 11 p.m..

SFO3 Randy Resurreccion, Caloocan Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) arson investigation unit chief, identified the victim as Jenalyn de la Cruz of 167 Creekside, Silanganan Subdivision, Llano, Caloocan City. She suffered second degree burns on the right side of her body and head. Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) medico-legal officer Senior Inspector Filemon Porciuncula said the child died of asphyxia due to smoke inhalation.

Fire Officer Marcelino Espeso III said fire broke out at around nine Sunday night in the shanty occupied by Jimmy de la Cruz, 29 and his wife Elizabeth, 39. The parents of the victim said, they went out of their house to buy cigarettes from a nearby store leaving the child alone.

They said they were also using a kerosene-fed lamp or gasera to light up the house. A hungry cat could have upturned the lamp and started the fire which killed their child. Probers said the couple identified the cat which they also found unharmed in the vicinity. The 15-minute fire burned some clothes and the bed where the victim was sleeping. – With Pete Laude