Six killed in Christmas Day fire in Quezon City 

Six people were killed in a Quezon City fire on Christmas Day, fire officials said.

 

In a report by GMA News' Mark Salazar on GMA News TV's Balitanghali, Bureau of Fire Protection investigators confirmed that as of 11:25 a.m., six bodies have been found in one apartment complex that burned down at dawn Sunday. All six fatalities belong to one family, and one possible victim remains missing.

 

Initial investigation showed the fire started around 3 a.m. at an eight-door apartment at Rest Haven Street and spread to another eight-door apartment, in a unit where electricity had been cut off.

 

The fire reached Task Force Charlie before it was placed under control at 6:31 a.m. Fire officials said the fire was put out by 6:58 a.m. 

 

 

Nearby residents complained that the fire was aggravated by the fire bureau's slow response time. In an interview on Balitanghai, Bureau of Fire Protection Metro Manila head Chief Superintendent Santiago Laguna admitted that it took a while to control the fire in Quezon CIty, as a separate fire was razing parts of the adjacent San Juan and most of the fire brigade's forces were sent there.

 

"Madali lang sana [maapula,] pero may kalayuan ang distansya ng Quezon City sa San Juan," Laguna said. However, Laguna insisted that the holidays did not hamper rescue efforts or affect the attendance of firefighters, saying the BFP had enough resources and men to put out the fires. "Full force po [ang BFP] ngayong Pasko," he said.

 

"Nagkataon lang na nagkasabay," he added. Laguna also explained that the fire spread quickly throughout the apartment complex, since the buildings were old and close together.

 

San Juan fire

 

In San Juan City, Laguna said another fire razed 500 houses and affected some 1,000 families. 

 

A report by Jun Veneracion, also on Balitanghali, said an unattended candle caused the fire. 

 

The San Juan fire claimed one fatality and injured thirteen others. The victim, identified as Michael Muñoz, was killed in a brawl while the fire was ongoing, fire officials said.

 

The relatives of Muñoz claimed that angry residents mistook him for the man who started the fire, and ganged up on him. 

 

In a separate interview over dzBB, Laguna said the fire started shortly after 2 a.m. and reached the general alarm, which meant fire brigades of nearby cities, including that of Quezon City, responded to the fire. According to Laguna, a general alarm summons all firefighters in the National Capital Region to help put out the blaze

 

During the fire, he said residents fought with firefighters and tried to grab their fire hoses in a bid to save their burning homes.

 

Some residents even drew firearms to intimidate some of the firefighters, while others threw stones at the fire trucks in frustration, he said.

 

"Naintindihan namin yan, siguro sa takbo ng damdamin," Laguna said. — with Patricia Denise Chiu/RSJ, GMA News