Malabon residential fire kills 3

An elderly couple and a laborer died during a three-hour residential fire in Malabon City Friday night.

The fatalities were identified as Serafin Reyes, 79; his wife Iluminada, 80; and Oliver Garcia, 49, all residents of Sto. Nino Street, Sitio Gulayan in Barangay Concepcion.

“The elderly couple’s bodies were severely charred while Garcia could have died of suffocation,” Senior Fire Officer 1 Rogerio Gayco, Malabon City arson investigator, told The STAR.

Gayco said volunteer firefighter Ronaldo Salazar and Mario Osorio, a resident, were hospitalized for injuries they sustained but have been declared out of danger.

Fire Officer 2 Armando Madla, Malabon City Bureau of Fire Protection radio operator, said that at around 7:24 p.m. they received a report of an ongoing fire at the house of Gigi Borres on Sto. Nino Street in Sitio Gulayan.

Firemen, led by city fire marshal Rodrigo Reyes, rushed to the area and were able to control the blaze by 8:41 p.m.

“Our firefighters prevented the blaze from devouring more houses but unfortunately, three residents were later found dead, with at least 30 houses destroyed,” Madla said.

According to Gayco, the Reyeses failed to come out of their house during the blaze because of their old age while Garcia could have could have suffocated since his body did not have burn marks.

The fire reached fifth alarm before firemen declared it out at about 10:24 p.m. Arson investigators have yet to determine what caused the fire, which destroyed an estimated P900,000 worth of properties. – Pete Laude