MANILA, Philippines - Fire killed a Chinese Filipino and her three helpers in Binondo, Manila on Monday morning.
Senior Fire Officer 2 Romel Lorenzo identified the fatalities as Hilda Cheng and her three helpers identified only as Princess, Fatima, and Rema.
Loren said that the four victims were trapped in Cheng's four-story house.
Fire investigators suspect that the fire was caused by a malfunctioning ceiling fan.
The fire reached the fifth alarm before it was placed under control at 6:30 a.m.
The blaze broke out while Metro Manila was experiencing heavy rainfall due to the enhanced southwest monsoon.