1 dead, 3 hurt as fires hit Manila, Taguig

MANILA, Philippines — A bedridden 86-year-old woman died while three others were injured when fires broke out in Manila and Taguig yesterday morning.

Peter Kho, reported to be a co-owner of Hotel Juliano, told police he tried but failed to save his mother, Chiu Deng Kabangkale, when a fire started in their two-story home behind the hotel, located near the corner of Alhambra and Guerrero streets in Ermita, Manila.

The blaze started at around 9:37 a.m and reached second alarm before it was put out at 11:07 a.m., the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported.

The Manila Police District said Kho told firefighters that he was taking a bath when he smelled something burning. When he left the bathroom to check, he saw the living room on fire.

Arson probers have yet to identify what caused the fire and the estimated cost of damage.

The hotel itself sustained water damage, the BFP reported.

In Taguig, two women aged 21 and 24 suffered minor injuries when a fire hit a residential area in Barangay Sta. Ana.

The BFP said the fire reached first alarm at 3:57 a.m. and was put out at 4:20 a.m.

One woman suffered a first-degree burn on her left thigh and a second-degree burn on the sole of her left foot.

The other woman had second-degree burns on her hands.

The BFP is still investigating the cause of the fire and the total cost of damage.

At least 13 fire trucks and two ambulances responded to the scene.