Girl dies in Cebu fire

CEBU CITY – A 6-year-old girl burned to death while six other persons, including three other children, were injured in a fire that destroyed two boarding houses here early Saturday morning.

Maria Alexa Mutoc was sleeping with a younger brother and a house help when  fire broke out at 4:30 a.m. Saturday in a two-story boarding house at the corner of D. Jakosalem and Bonifacio Streets in the Parian district of Cebu City.

A city fire investigators said the house help, identified as Ednalyn Calisin, 28, awakened Maria Alexa then carried three-year-old Renren Mutoc out of the building.

But Maria Alexa failed to get out of their room on the second floor of the boarding house, according to Cebu City fire investigator Senior Fire Officer 1 Lowel Opolentisima. “Mutoc thought the girl was following her but she never did,” he said.

The body of Maria Alexa was charred beyond recognition when found later, he said.

The mother of the two kids, identified as Flordeliza Abapao, works at night and was not around when the fire broke out, Opolentisima said.

He said the boy and Calisim sustained minor burns along with four other persons who were identified as Mary Irene Simbajon, 6; Matthew Justine, 2; and Bernardo Ortiz, 53. A firefighter, F03 Alexander Labuga, was also injured in the hand.

Except for Labuga, the injured victims were brought to Cebu City Medical Center for treatment.

Opolentisima said the fire started in a room on the second floor rented by one Roberto Wong. The room was adjacent to that occupied by the Mutoc kids.

From the boarding house owned by Jose Castro the fire quickly spread to a neighboring three-story building that had also been converted into a boarding house.

Opolentisima said the two structures were razed to the ground.

Opolentisima said they were still investigating the cause of the fire especially since the room where it originated was used as stockroom and no one was inside when it broke out.

The fire was put under control at 4:49 a.m., he said.

It was fourth fire to hit Cebu this week. Around 250 houses were destroyed in Carreta and Tejero in a fire last Tuesday. Another 175 houses burned down in the villages of Quiot and Kinasang-an on Wednesday while 40 houses were destroyed in Umapad, Mandaue City Friday morning.