Owner of house where Taguig fire reportedly started shot dead

What’s left of Sitio Maliwanag, Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig City, after Thursday’s fire. —MATTHEW REYSIO-CRUZ

Hours after a fire hit a slum area in Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig City and left more than 150 families homeless, the owner of the house where the blaze was believed to have started was shot dead.

Around 1 a.m. on Thursday, residents of Sitio Maliwanag near C-5 Road heard gunshots and found the body of Fructo Santa Cruz. He had just been dropped off by barangay officials who questioned him about the fire.

Six .45-caliber bullets were recovered from the scene. Investigators have yet to determine the motive for the killing but are considering the possibility that it was related to the fire.

The Jan. 17 fire started around 5:40 p.m. and raged for two hours, destroying about 100 homes. At least four children sustained minor injuries, according to fire bureau officials.

Supt. Flor-ian Guerrero, the fire investigator on the case, said initial findings indicated that the fire started in the house of Santa Cruz, who reportedly left his stove unattended.

Displaced families spent Wednesday night on a basketball court near Sitio Maliwanag and returned to their neighborhood the next morning to look for anything they could be salvage. Informal settlers encountered by the Inquirer said they were uncertain whether they would be allowed to rebuild their homes in the area.