Elderly woman, baby feared dead in Zamboanga City fire; 300 houses destroyed

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – An elderly woman and a toddler are feared to have perished in the fire that razed some 300 houses in Tumaga village here on Monday morning.

Elmer Apolinario, the acting city administrator and head of the city disaster risk reduction management office, said that as of Monday afternoon, they were still checking on residents’ reports that an old woman and a toddler died in the fire.

Fire Superintendent Dominador Zabala Jr. said they were still determining the cause of the fire that gutted down houses made of light materials.

The fire started at 11 a.m. and ended more than an hour later. Zabala said firetrucks had difficulty penetrating the village’s narrow roads.