Woman, 3 kids killed in Tondo market fire

A MOTHER and her three children died of suffocation after a fire broke out at a night market in Tondo, Manila, on Sunday night.

“They were burnt beyond recognition. They were asleep when the fire broke out. We believe they suffered from suffocation and had no chance to ask for help,” Senior Fire Insp. Melvin Carbonel said.

Carbonel, head of the Manila fire office station 1, identified the victims as Evelyn Vasquez and her children Edison Sunga, 7; Michaela, 6, and Marsky, 4. When their bodies were found, Vasquez was embracing her children.

The victims were asleep at the second floor of a two-story house in New Oriental Market on Carmen Planas Street when the fire broke out at 11:29 p.m. Monday. On the ground floor was a billiards and videoke bar.

“The residents forgot to wake them up. They also forgot to tell us there were still people inside the house,” Carbonel said.

He attributed the fire to electrical overload. The flames spread quickly, prompting firefighters to place the market under Task Force Alpha. The blaze was put out at 1 a.m. but not before it destroyed 50 stalls and P5-million worth of property.

Carbonel said that firemen had difficulty getting into the market because at that time, there were a lot of buyers and trucks delivering goods.