2 children killed in Cebu fire

Toledo City, Cebu, Philippines. https://maps.google.com.ph

CEBU CITY, Philippines –Two brothers aged 5 and 2 were killed in a fire that engulfed their shanty late Friday night in Toledo City, about 50 kilometers west of this city.

The children failed to get out of their house in Sitio (sub-village) Sinsin, Barangay Sam-ang, when the fire broke out because their mother had locked the door when she went out to look for her husband.

The charred bodies of Alexander Borgador Jr., 2, and Harvey, 5, were found near the door, partly covered in embers, said SF02 Constancio Alcover Jr., Toledo City Fire Department investigator.

Alcover said they received the fire alarm at 10:15 p.m. A fire truck was immmediately sent to the house of the Borgadors, which was about 9 kilometers away from the city center.

When they arrived at the scene, the house had already been consumed by fire.

He said he talked to the parents – Alexander Sr., 26, and Geovelyn, 23— to ask why their children were not able to get out of the house.

The mother told Alcover that she locked the door from the outside to look for Alexander Sr. who didn’t come home after telling her he was simply going out to buy some coconut wine or “tuba.”

The woman suspected the fire might have been caused by an improvised keresone lamp that may have been toppled by their cat.

Alcover said the couple had an argument Friday night over a plan to expand their house.  Alexander Sr. then told his wife that he was going out to buy tuba because he wanted a drink after dinner.

Geovelyn tried to stop him because he was drunk the night before but he would not listen, so she went after him.

Geovelyn found her husband drinking tuba at a store about 500 meters from their house. However, they did not go home immediately but tarried at the store awahile until neighbors told them their house was on fire.

(With a report from Chito Aragon, Inquirer Visayas)