Fire hits Batangas building; 3 dead, 7 hurt

BATANGAS CITY, Philippines — A grandmother and her two young grandchildren died while seven of their relatives suffered burns in a fire that razed a family-owned building in Lian, Batangas, early morning on Wednesday, police said.

Senior Insp. Philip Aguilar, chief of the Lian police, said the fire hit the two-story Triple J Marketing Building owned by Hernando Jonson on Dilimon Street, Village Poblacion 2, at around 4 a.m.

Aguilar identified the fatalities as Analysa Jonson, 50, the wife of Hernando, and her grandchildren, Lovely Batuto, 12 and JC Batuto, 9.

The Batuto children were left under the care of their grandparents while their parents were working in the United States, Aguilar said.

Aguilar said the fire injured Hernando, 49; his single daughter, Grace, 21; and mother Milagros Jonson, 75; and relatives helping in the family-owned store, identified as Christy Navajo, Raquel Isona, Airyn Cabrera and Alice Games.

Aguilar said the building’s ground floor was being operated as a grocery and general merchandise store while the second level was being used as the residential quarters of the Jonson family.

Aguilar said the fire started at the grocery store due to faulty electrical wiring.

When the victims realized that the building was on fire, they all jumped out of the second floor, except for the two children who were trapped inside the building.

Analysa had jumped and escaped from the fire but still died due to injuries on the face. It was believed that when she jumped, her face hit something hard and died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nasugbu town, Aguilar said.

He said the other victims were rushed to different hospitals nearby.