7 dead in furniture warehouse fire

At least seven people were killed when they were trapped in a three-hour fire that hit a furniture warehouse in Mandaluyong City yesterday.

Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos ordered a thorough investigation to determine whether the owner of FCI Furniture Contractors Inc. located along Florante St. in Barangay Plainview is liable for the fire that killed seven people.

“I would like to know whether there is foul play in the death of the workers,” said Abalos, adding that he wants the report of the local fire department in his office today.

Mandaluyong City police chief Senior Superintendent Carlos de Sagun identified the victims as Amante de Gracia, 59, bookkeeper; Nenita Marquez, 55, general manager; Marnelli Marquez, 26, a student; Leonora Rabal, 27, an engineer; Sofia Francesca Marquez, 4; and a certain Luming and Girlie, both helpers. The bodies of the victims, burned beyond recognition, are undergoing examination at the Gospel funeral parlor.

Abalos rushed to the area after receiving a report of the fire that hit the two-storey building owned by Elizabeth Uy. The fire started at 12:52 a.m. at the house of the company supervisor.

Arson prober FO2 Victorio Tablay said they are looking into faulty electrical wiring as the cause of the fire.

Strong winds fanned the fire towards the warehouse, where paints, foam, pieces of wood and thinners used by the company in making furniture are stored.

Abalos said a certain Fabian, one of the firm’s workers, told him that Nenita Marquez went back into the burning building after she could not find her grandchild among the people outside the warehouse at the height of the fire.

The fire reached the fourth alarm and was put out at about 3:25 a.m.

Damage to property was pegged at P2 million.

When firemen entered the totally burned building, they recovered the charred bodies in separate areas of the ground floor.

Tablay said Uy provided him a list of her missing workers.

However, they have not confirmed whether the missing workers were those killed in the fire, Tablay said.

He said they are still checking whether the building had a proper fire exit.