4 senior citizens killed in Camiguin fire

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Four elderly persons, all of them siblings, were killed in a fire that burned down two houses in Camiguin early Wednesday morning, the Bureau of Fire Protection in the region said.

The fire, which started at 3:25 a.m. and was declared over at 7:20 a.m., registered some P1 million worth of damage on properties.

Those burned to death were Angelita Lao, 74; Tomasita Lao, 70; James Lao, 65; and Vergelio Lao, 64.

Fire Officer 3 Sergio Virtudazo Jr. of the Mahinog fire station said James and Vergelio were just visiting their sisters, Angelita and Tomasita, who were living in the family’s ancestral house. Both sisters were single.

The other occupants of the house, Lorna Jaquilmac, 65, a retired government employee, and two children, survived.

The other house was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

Virtudazo said the fire, which started on the top floor of the two-story house, quickly spread. The house, which was built in 1918, was made mostly of wood.

“There were two teams who responded to the fire, but we could not get in and rescue the victims on the second floor since the fire was so intense. We tried our best but we could not get them out,” he said.

He said there was a drizzle during the fire but it was not enough to help quell the fire.

Chief Inspector Victor Rommel Cena, Mahinog police station commander, said the Lao brothers were in town for a visit and was supposed to leave Camiguin Wednesday morning.

Cena said the neighbors didn’t notice the fire since they were still asleep. He said the bodies of the victims were hardly recognizable.

BFP 10 spokesperson Noli dela Rita said they were still looking into the cause of the incident./lb