Ma, daughter jump from terrace to escape blaze

A mother in her early 40s and her 15-year-old daughter were injured after they jumped off a 14-foot terrace to escape their burning house yesterday.

Jennifer Codillero fractured her leg while her daughter Sheena broke both knees after they jumped from the terrace of their house   in Holy Cross Street, Greenside, barangay Hipodromo, Cebu City.

Paramedics of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation rushed Jennifer and Sheena  to the hospital for treatment.

The fire destroyed the house owned by Codillero’s father, Jessie, a retired employee of the Visayan Electric Company, and another two-story house owned by lawyer Silvester Parado.

Chief Insp. William Tacaldo, arson investigator, estimated the damage at P500,000.

Tacaldo said the fire was reported at 3:48 a.m. and 24 minutes later was raised to a general alarm,  which means that all fire trucks in the city have to respond to help put out the fire.

Jessie Codillero said  that he was sleeping beside his daughter and granddaughter in their room on the second floor, when he noticed that his feet was getting warmer.

When he went downstairs to check, he found out that the plug at the back of the refrigerator was on fire and the fire was getting bigger.

He said he awakened Jennifer and Sheen before  hurrying downstairs to save some of their belongings.

However, Jennifer and Sheena  were trapped at the second-floor terrace.

To escape the fire, they decided to jump. The daughter went first then the mother./Correspondent Chito O. Aragon