5 dead in Tondo fire

MANILA, Philippines—Five persons died in a fire that hit a commercial-residential building in Tondo, Manila before dawn Tuesday.

Senior Inspector Romeo Pepito Jr., chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection National Capital Region Arson Investigation Section, said in a text message to INQUIRER.net that five were killed in a blaze that gutted a two-story building along Sto. Niño Street in Delpan, Tondo.

The fire, which reached fifth alarm, started at 3:56 a.m. and was put out at around 5 a.m.

Pepito identified victims as Joana Razet dela Cruz, 21; Jamaica dela Cruz, 17; Shane, 21; Junjun, 16; while a radio report said a certain Tintin also perished in the fire.

The survivors, Marvin Frado and Ronald Bulevar, said they jumped off the building from the second floor.

Quoted by the report, Frado and Bulevar said they tried to force open the room where most of the fatalities stayed but it was locked from the inside.

The survivors said they were all sleeping after they closed the mini-grocery store past 3 a.m. when the fire started.

The building was owned by a certain Wilson Villanueva, who was in the province during the fire. Villanueva is the grandfather of the dela Cruzes.

Tondo Manila Fire Department told INQUIRER.net that they cannot provide details yet as firefighters are still on the scene.

Arson investigators are still trying to determine the cause of fire.

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