Senior Fire Officer 2 Felipe Caguing, arson investigator, identified the victim as Cecilia Fontabella, 18, a native of Bohol and stay-in employee of Romy’s Videoke Bar located along Dimasalang corner J. Gabriel Streets in Barangay Baclaran, Parañaque City.
He said initial findings indicated that Fontabella was drunk when she went upstairs to her quarters on the second floor of the establishment around 2:31 a.m. She afterwards fell asleep holding a lighted cigarette, which Caguing said was the likely cause of the fire.
The blaze immediately spread to at least five offices and six houses in. It took 24 firetrucks to put out the fire, which was extinguished at around 5:11 a.m.
Firemen estimated damage to property at P3 million.