Tondo building fire leaves 5 dead

MANILA, Philippines–Five people were killed after they were trapped inside a building in Tondo, Manila, where a fire broke out before dawn on Tuesday.

Two of those killed in the blaze were the granddaughters of Wilson Villanueva, the owner of the two-story commercial-residential building at 870 Sto. Niño St. where the fire started at 3:45 a.m.

Sisters Joana and Jamaica de la Cruz, according to fire investigators, had just moved from Aklan province to continue their studies in Manila. Villanueva was reportedly not at home when the fire broke out.

Also killed was 21-year-old Shayne Roque, a friend of the De la Cruz sisters, who was just staying the night, according to SFO3 Emmanuel Gaspar.

The other fatalities were Junjun Sotto, 16, and Christine Oquerdo who were working in the grocery store located on the ground floor.

Two other workers in the store, which was also owned by Villanueva, survived.

Marvin Frado and Ronald Bolivar told investigators that they escaped from the burning building by breaking and jumping out of a window on the second floor.

At the time the fire broke out, the victims were asleep on the second floor and failed to get out.

Gaspar said that the victims’ bodies were found on the ground floor because the wooden floor of the second level collapsed due to the blaze. The victims’ bodies were barely recognizable.

An estimated P2 million worth of property was destroyed in the fire that was put out more than an hour after. The cause, according to Gaspar, remained under investigation.

The fire investigator said that aside from the commercial-residential building, no other structures were damaged by the fire.–With Jacqueline Arias

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