2 siblings killed, 1 hurt in another Muntinlupa fire

MANILA, Philippines – Two siblings, including a minor, were killed, and one was wounded when another fire allgedly caused by a heated debate between relatives hit a slum area in Muntinlupa City, a fire official reported yesterday.

City Fire Marshal Roderick Aguto said Edlyn Sandoval, 18, and Mark Sandoval, 10, were trapped inside their houses, while their elder sister Lyan Sandoval, 21, sustained bruises and second degree burns.

The blaze reportedly started about 10:32 p.m. Saturday at the house of a certain Francisco Maneces located at Block 4, Lot 250 in Sitio Bagong Silang, Sucat, Muntinlupa. The fire immediately spread to two neighboring houses and was declared out at 12:09 a.m.

Probers are eyeing arson as the main cause of the fire.

Aguto said initial investigation showed that Maneces was having a heated argument with his sister-in-law. He could not say what they were fighting about but he said the suspect allegedly retaliated by burning the sofa in their living room using a lighter.

Arson

A statement from the city’s public information office concurred that arson was the main cause of the blaze.

However, the statement said authorities are hunting down a suspect identified only as “Toto,” who it said may have caused the fire amid accusations of theft. “In retaliation, he started the fire,” the statement read.

At least three houses were affected by the blaze. Damage to property was placed at P300,000.

The Sucat fire struck at the heels of similarly disastrous blaze that engulfed Carmina and Bunyi Compounds in Cupang, Muntinlupa early Saturday morning, where roughly 4,000 families were left homeless.

Newly re-elected Mayor Aldrin San Pedro, meanwhile, directed the city’s Social Welfare Department to distribute relief goods including food, mineral water, mats and blankets to the victims. He also reminded residents to observe safety measures in their homes to prevent fires. “Fires occur more in the summer months so we should really be careful,” he said.

In case a fire breaks out, San Pedro urged the residents to contact the city fire department through: 842-2201.