Las Piñas fire kills 3, destroys P5 M in property

Firefighters put out a fire that broke out in a commercial establishment in Ramos Compound, Talon Uno, Marcos Alvarez St., Las Pinas City, Tuesday before dawn. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines – A four-hour-long fire struck a commercial building in Las Piñas City early Tuesday, leaving three people dead and destroying P5 million worth of property.

Fire Officer 1 Paul Campanan, arson investigator, identified the fatalities as Michael Wang, 52, Shiela Wang, 28, and Ben Tinio, 45, of Marcos Alvarez Street in Barangay (village) Talon I.

The two-story building owned by Wang housed the 388 Auto Supply, Sandiske Tarpaulin Design Shop and E&E Upholstery Stall.

“The fire spread fast within the building because the unit is full of office supplies, tarpaulins, papers and other materials that easily catch flame,” Campanan said, adding the blaze did not spread to other buildings.

The fire started at 1:30 a.m. from Wang’s apartment on the second floor and was declared under control at 3:15 a.m. and was finally extinguished at 5:55 a.m.

“We tried our best to get them out but it was too late. The building was locked from the inside which made it difficult for the occupants to exit immediately,” Campanan said.

The cause of the fire was still being investigated.