La Union fire kills 4, including 3 children

DAGUPAN CITY — Three children and their uncle were killed in a Sunday morning blaze at Agoo town in La Union province.

Charles Matthew Higuera, 3; Charmaine Higuera, 9; Charlie John Higuera, 10; and 74-year-old George Asprec, did not survive the fire that razed their two-storey house at 7 a.m. in Barangay (village) San Julian East, said SFO4 Ernesto Fabro, Agoo fire station chief.

The charred body of the youngest victim was found in the master’s bedroom on the second floor of the house, while the others were found in the bathroom, where they were trapped.

The firefighters took an hour and a half to quench the fire. Fabro said they tried to rescue the children and their uncle but failed to break through the iron grills that surrounded the terrace.

The fire had eaten through the wooden stairs leading to the second floor, preventing firemen from taking that route, said Fabro.

The children’s mother and an older daughter were able to run out of the house to ask for help.

But before the mother could return to save her other children, the house’s second floor was already consumed by fire.

Fabro said the fire may have been caused by a short circuit in the ceiling’s electrical wiring. /je