5 dead as fire hits ‘cracker factory in Calamba City

A policeman inspects the area in Calamba City, Laguna province which was destroyed by a fire on Friday (Nov. 18), leaving at least five people dead. Authorities said the place was an illegal factory of firecrackers. (Contributed)

LUCENA CITY — Five people were killed after an alleged illegal firecracker factory in Calamba City, Laguna province caught fire on Friday (Nov. 18), police said.

According to a spot report from Calamba police officer-in-charge Lt. Colonel Milany Martirez, four of the fatalities were identified as Ryan James Gutierrez, Kenneth Buebo, Leticia and Darwin Corral (their relationships were not specified).

The report said the fire started around 11 a.m. at a house located in Barangay (village) Canlubang.

Local firemen arrived at the scene at 11:20 a.m. and declared the fire out at 12:03 p.m.

“They (fatalities) were discovered in different places inside the house,” the police report said.

In a phone interview, Staff Sergeant Jhon Kevin Villarino, the case investigator, said another victim who was not included in the report was also killed.

Villarino claimed that the house was a “factory for illegal firecrackers.”

The police report said the fire injured at least seven others.

They were identified as Judd Nelson Corral, Genaro Valentino, Isagani Batalla, Joel Escoton, and Joel Alcantara, all tagged as “house owners.”

The report said two unidentified men were also injured in the fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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/MUF