Photo: Emergency Medical Services – BFP Quezon City
MANILA, Philippines — Two people were killed while four others were injured after a Fairview Bus caught fire along Commonwealth Avenue in Barangay Greater Fairview in Quezon City on Sunday afternoon, the fire department said.
In a report, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the National Capital Region said the bus with over 20 passengers on board caught fire at 12:39 noon. The blaze reached the first alarm.
Firefighters and two fire trucks sent to the scene were able to extinguish the fire in less than an hour.
As of posting, arson probers said they could not reveal the names of the casualties as the victims’ family members are still to be informed.
Meanwhile, the BFP initially placed the amount of damage at P50,000.
Gasoline in a bottle
In an interview with witnesses, BFP Senior Fire Officer 1 Robin Topacio, arson investigator, said that prior to the fire, a male passenger of the bus had an argument with the bus conductress. During the argument, the man doused the conductress with gasoline and set her on fire. Witnesses said the man carried the gasoline in a bottle.
Topacio said the man then doused gasoline on himself, and then set himself on fire.
“Initially, according to witness sinabuyan ng passenger ng gasolina iyong konduktora. Iyong isang passenger nakaalitan ang konduktor,” said Topacio over a phone interview with INQUIRER.net.
(Initially, witnesses said the passenger doused gasoline on the conductress. The passenger had an argument with the conductress.)
The witnesses could not say what the argument was about, Topacio said.
Topacio said the bus driver and three other passengers sustained injuries during the incident.