Mother, 2 children die in Victorias City fire

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – A mother and her two minor children were killed in a fire that razed their house in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, at 8 p.m. Friday.

The fatalities were identified as 35-year-old Mona Lisa Javier and her children Chole Jane, 6, and Mark Lester, 2.

Inspector Sidgie Gerardo, city fire marshal, said the victims. who suffered major burns. were brought to the hospital but Chole was declared dead upon arrival while the mother and her two-year-old boy died the next day.

Fire investigators said the cause of the fire was a lighted candle that caught the wall of the house, which was made of light materials. There was a blackout in the area before the fire, Gerardo added. (FREEMAN)