MANILA, Philippines—A fire that lasted only about 15 minutes killed an elderly couple in Quezon City Saturday morning.
Firefighters found the charred remains of Severino Makabingkil, 70, and his wife Lara, 65, inside their bedroom on O’Donnell Street, Barangay Holy Spirit.
Their 25-year-old daughter Dahlia suffered second-degree burns before she could run out of their house, the only structure engulfed by flames in the neighborhood.
SFO1 Francisco Mendoza said the fire started at 6:12 a.m. at the couple’s bungalow residence. It did not even reach the first alarm and was declared out at 6:28 a.m.
“The victims were apparently trapped inside their house since the door was still double-locked,” Mendoza said.
As to the possible cause of the fire, Mendoza said that, according to Dahlia, her parents often lit candles on their bedroom altar, which may have been left unattended.
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