Marikina City fire traced to second-hand ref

MANILA—Fernando Garcia of Marikina City thought he got a bargain when he recently bought a second-hand refrigerator.

But instead of cooling things down, the Japan-made refrigerator apparently started a fire that cost Garcia his entire house on Russet Street, SSS Village in Barangay Concepcion II early Saturday.

Garcia, 65, told authorities that when he woke up that morning, he saw smoke coming out of the appliance which he recently purchased from a surplus shop.

He panicked and rushed out as smoke turned to flames that quickly spread inside his bungalow.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Noel Alarcon, arson investigator, said an electrical overload may have started the fire, noting that the refrigerator was a 110-volt unit plugged into a 220-volt system.

Thanks to a protective wall, the 6:40 a.m. fire was limited to Garcia’s house and declared out by firefighters about 30 minutes later.