2 women killed in Las Piñas fire

Two people died in an early morning fire that also destroyed P3 million worth of property in BF Homes Las Pinas yesterday.

Carol del Rosario, 45, and her niece, Islene Hazel Bautista, 22, were found dead in the bathroom of their two-story house, where they were trapped during the blaze.

Senior Fire Officer 4 Noel Consignado said both women apparently died of suffocation since they did not appear to have been badly burned.

Their house, located on Dolores Street, BF Homes Almanza, was destroyed by the fire that started at around 7:44 a.m. Firefighters put out the blaze less than an hour later, at around 8:30 a.m.

Consignado said the owner of the house, identified as Luz Bautista del Rosario, survived as she was able to get out of the house.

He said the fire started at the ground-floor dining area. Though the cause of the fire is still under investigation, arson probers believe that an electrical problem might have started it.

“Before the fire, there was a power outage in the area at around 4 a.m. The house is rather old, made of wood, wooden partitions,” Consignado said.

According to him, the victims were trapped in the second floor of the burning house because its windows had steel grills.