DAVAO CITY, Philippines – At least seven people, four of them women, were killed in a fire that razed a hardware store in Manay town in Davao Oriental Thursday night, authorities said.
Senior Superintendent Jose Carumba said all the victims were storekeepers of Palomares Hardware who were trapped inside the building when the fire broke out.
The fire, which struck at 11 p.m. Thursday, also spread to two other establishments. Manay firefighters put out the blaze at around 3:30 a.m.
The fatalities were identified as Emily Diabakid, Aileen Andoyo, Geselie Cabrera, Bernadette Budadong, Joseph Tingal, Jober Tingal, and John Agosila.
Carumba said authorities still have to determine the cause of the fire, although there are suspicions that it could have started in the paint stockroom of the hardware store.