120715 House fire kills 5 in GenSan
Philippines Jul 14 2012 “Building” “Houses”
Dead : dead 5 to 9 Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Web Source: Philstar
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=829177&publicationSubCategoryId=200
Date: 19 July, 2012
Country: Philippines
House fire kills 5 in GenSan
Updated: 2012-07-19-07:01
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Xinhua) – Five people were killed in a fire in the southern Philippines early today, authorities said.
Three of the fatalities were children aged between eight and 16, as well as their mother and a female house helper after the blaze in Bula village in General Santos City, some 136 kilometers south of Davao City, said Romeo Pantoja, Senior Fire Officer of the General Santos fire department.
Pantoja told a local radio station the fire broke out at around 3 a.m., gutting the house of victim Leonor Barace in Gensanville Subdivision.
Investigation revealed a loud explosion was heard shortly before a massive blaze engulfed the residence, trapping the victims who were reportedly asleep as the incident happened.
Officials said the fire was put out at around 5 a.m.
Firefighters were not immediately able to enter the burning house and rescue its occupants as its steel gates were locked from inside, Pantoja said, adding an investigation into cause of the deadly fire was underway.
In May, at least 17 people were burned to death in a fiery disaster that razed a shopping mall in Butuan city in northern Mindanao.