Girl dies in fire

CEBU, Philippines - A four-year-old girl died in a fire incident in an interior portion from the access road, back of barangay hall of Punta Princesa, Cebu City past 12:00 noon yesterday.

The victim, Estella Jean Romero, 4, was playing alone at the second floor of their house when fire broke out.

Her uncle, George Herbella, has suspected that the victim was possibly the one playing with match sticks.

He said that the place where the fire broke out has no electrical wirings that could possibly caused the fire.

"Nagduwa ang bata, wa may kuryenti diha, bodega man na, gipakaon pa to nako nya ning-gawas," he narrated.

The next thing happened Herbella said was that the house was already engulfed with fire and discovered that the girl was at the second floor.

"Ang maguwang akong gipadagan sigi kog singgit tabang tabang, ang mga tawo nagtan-aw ra man," he lamented.

Herbella said that he tried to climb upstairs but the fire was too huge for him to save the girl.

The girl's body was later found charred by her relatives who brought her to Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

Neither Mike, her father, was around when the accident took place because he was fixing his motorcycle 15 meters away nor her mother who was working in a day care center when the fire broke out.

The girl is the fourth child of the couple.

Cebu City fire investigator, FO3 Emeliano Edaño, said that the fire was controlled by residents in the area by using pales of water.

The fire destroyed one house and partially destroyed another one and left an estimated damage of P50, 000.— /GMR (FREEMAN)