MANILA, Philippines – A 24-year-old woman working at a used clothes store was killed in a fire that broke out in an “ukay-ukay” store located on the ground floor of an old theater house in Cubao, Quezon City at dawn yesterday, according to a fire report.
Senior Fire Officer 2 Jesse Gealon said the fire broke out at 3:08 a.m. at Denzel RTW shop which is inside the old movie house at the corner of Gen. Santos Street and Aurora Boulevard.
Gealon added that the charred body of Gina Pidep, a stay–in employee who worked as a cashier, was recovered inside the establishment.
According to her coworkers who were able to get out of the store, Pidep went back to her room to get her things but she failed to come out.
Gealon said the victim may have died from suffocation after she was trapped inside the store that was full of burning clothes and shoes.
The investigator added that only the used clothes store was burned and the other nearby shops were spared due to the quick response of firefighters.
The arson investigator estimated the damage to property at around P400,000.
However, he said the cause of the fire that reached the second alarm was still being determined.
It was placed under control at 3:38 a.m. and put out at 3:58 a.m.
Gealon said that based on the statements of four other stay-in employees who were able to escaped unhurt, the fire started at the store’s display window.
The workers said they tried to put it out using the store’s fire extinguishers, but the fire quickly became bigger and spread through the store which was filled with second-hand clothes.
They added that they decided to get out of the store but the victim went back in to get her things and never came out again.