Six dead in Tondo fire

Six people, including three children, died in a two-hour fire that struck a dilapidated building in Tondo, Manila on Tuesday afternoon.

Senior Insp. Redentor Alumno, Manila’s chief arson investigator, identified the fatalities as a certain Anabel, Juliana Bermudo, 13; siblings Isabel, 8, and Bryan Ygonia,7; and Jojo Castigador.

A sixth victim remains unidentified.

Alumno said the report was based on the information he recieved as of 8:30 p.m. The full identities of the victims were still being verified.

He said the cause of fire was still unknown, but initial reports said it originated from a two-storey house beside the building on C.P. Garcia street in Barangay 118 around 2 p.m.

The fire, which reached second alarm, lasted for only two hours, but the death count spiked because the victims were trapped.

Anabel and Castigador died at the hospital while firefighters discovered the bodies of children and the unidentified victim at the site after a fireout was declared before 5 p.m.

Alumno said the area was difficult to penetrate because of narrow and crowded alleys. /ee