(UPDATE) 7 dead in warehouse fire
By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 11:57:00 11/23/2008
Filed Under: Fire
MANILA, Philippines--Nenita Marquez had already escaped the flames that engulfed their furniture warehouse when she suddenly rushed back to the building in a heroic but ultimately ill-fated attempt to save her granddaughter.
When the smoke cleared, Marquez, 55, and three members of her family, along with three of their co-workers, lay dead in a tragic end to the blaze that gutted the Furniture Contractors Inc. in Mandaluyong City early Sunday.
"(Marquez) had already gotten out but she heard her granddaughter scream for help and she ran back inside to help her," case investigator FO3 Victorio Tablay said, citing eyewitness accounts. "She never got out."
The two-story building at 26 Florante St., Barangay (Village) Plainview, constructed mostly from wood and housing furniture pieces in various stages of completion, was razed to the ground, he said, adding that "only the posts were left."
Some P2 million worth of property was destroyed in all, the investigator said.
Tablay said the fire, which started at past 12 a.m., first struck the ground floor and quickly spread to the second floor, where the sleeping quarters of the stay-in staff and employees were located.
Although the cause was still being investigated, he said he suspected a short circuit in the electrical wiring sparked the fire.
Tablay released an initial list of the names of the victims based on an accounting of missing persons among the stay-in workers. He said these names remained unofficial pending the termination of the probe.
They were Marquez, the company's general manager, Amante Marquez, 59, bookkeeper, Marnelli Marquez, 26, a student, Sophia Marquez, 4, Leonora Vidad, 27, an engineer, and Girlie Lalapban, 16, and Filomena Serada, 60, helpers.
The seven bodies were charred beyond recognition, making the process of identification difficult, Tablay said. "We had to rely on the information from their co-workers and family members," he said.
The remains were taken to Gospel Memorial Homes.
The victims, all staff and employees of the company owned by a certain Elizabeth Uy, were sleeping in their quarters when the fire started, Tablay said.
Many other employees survived by rushing to the fire exit, the investigator said, but he could not provide an exact figure for the number of survivors. "There were about five families staying there," Tablay said.
"The victims were probably disoriented so they weren't able to locate the fire exit. They also could not use the stairs because it led directly into the burning sections," he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Tablay said the fire spread very quickly because of the presence of highly combustible materials, especially the furniture pieces made with foam.
Firefighters, however, found it easy to access the building, and a nearby fire hydrant meant a strong water supply, he said.
Commenting on Marquez' attempt to save her granddaughter, Tablay said it was unfortunate.
"One of our safety tips is always this: Once you manage to get out of a burning building, never ever go back," he said.
The fire was put out at 3:55 a.m.
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