Woman, four-year-old boy killed in Quezon City fire

MANILA, Philippines - A woman and a four-year-old boy died after they were trapped in a burning house in Quezon City at dawn yesterday.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Jose Felipe Arreza said the charred bodies of Madeline Soliman, 20, and Alexander Espina were recovered from the debris of the three-story house owned by Angelina Espina in Barangay Manresa.

Soliman was one of Angelina’s tenants while Alexander is her grandson.

Arson investigators have yet to determine the cause of the blaze.

Reports said the boy was sleeping with his grandmother in one of the rooms on the second floor when the fire broke out at 1:50 a.m. Firefighters took more than three hours to contain the fire.

Arreza said the fire destroyed around 200 houses in the area, leaving some 800 families homeless. Damage to property was estimated at P2 million.