6 dead, 6 hurt in Tondo fire

Firefighters rest after they extinguish fire that gutted houses in Yuseco street, Manila. At least 20 houses were destroyed and six people died, thee of them are children. INQUIRER PHOTO \ RICHARD A. REYES

A fire razed a residential area in Tondo, Manila, on Thursday morning, leaving six people, including a mother and her three young children, dead.

Authorities identified the victims as Odessa Conde, 36, and her children Yhexel George Nicholas, 10; Yara Courtney, 9; and Yanxy Kieffer, 8. Also killed were Jean Paul Esguerra, 42, and Aquelina Habana, 44.

Conde’s husband, George, survived although he suffered second degree burns on his arms and neck. He was among six people who were injured in the blaze.A total of 20 houses were damaged, displacing around 40 families.

According to the report of the Manila Fire District (MFD), the fire started at 2:38 a.m. in a two-story building on Katamanan Street. It reached the third alarm before it was put out at 7:14 a.m.

Fire Insp. John Joseph Jalique, chief of the MFD intelligence and investigation section, said that around P100,000 worth of property was destroyed in the blaze.

The cause remains under investigation, Jalique added.