Senior Inspector Danilo Cabaluna, this town’s fire chief, said his men found the victim, Mrs. Angelita Conte, 69, a former worker of Kimberly Clark Philippines here, with a busted head while leaning on a chair inside her burning house on Rizal street.
The timely arrival of firemen prevented the fire from spreading to nearby houses, he said.
"When we arrived at the scene, we saw a body covered with blanket and found it already stiff, hinting that (the victim was already dead) prior to the fire," Cabaluna said.
Police are convinced that Conte was struck with a blunt instrument on the head that killed her instantly.
Police are looking for a former boarder of the victim who was seen leaving the house carrying an LPG tank a few hours before the fire broke out. — Rene Alviar