Girl dead in Batangas fire

INQUIRER FILES

LUCENA CITY — A 13-year-old girl died Wednesday in a fire that gutted her house in Lipa City, Batangas.

The odor of burnt objects awakened Jersey Gabuna, an occupant of a house in Barangay San Carlos, as the fire started around 2:45 a.m., the Region 4A police said in a belated report on Thursday, Aug. 22.

When Gabuna opened her eyes, she saw thick smoke inside the house.

She immediately woke the other people inside the house and herded them to safety. Two families were living together in the house.

The local fire department responded and declared the blaze under control at 3:41 a.m.

During the clearing operation, firefighters recovered the body of “Meagan,” who was trapped inside the burning house.

Investigators found that a lit candle inside the victim’s bedroom caused the fire.