3-year-old boy dead, 6 injured after fire hits residential-commercial area in Mandaluyong

A three-year-old boy died while six others were injured after a fire razed a residential-commercial area in J.P. Rizal Street in Barangay Namayan, Mandaluyong City on Monday morning.

According to Bernadette Reyes’ report in “24 Oras”, the fire hit a lechon store, barracks of the workers, a junk shop, and a warehouse. 

The body of the young victim was recovered from the workers’ barracks after two hours. His identity was confirmed by his father, the 24 Oras report added. 

“Anak po siya ng isa sa nagtatrabaho sa litsunan. Makita naman po natin na yung barracks ay made of wood-like materials kaya ganun kabilis lumaki yung sunog sa part na ‘yun,” said F/SInsp. Brian Acidre Pillula, Chief of Operation, Mandaluyong City Fire Station. 

(He is the son of one of the workers in the lechon store. As we can see, the barracks are made of wood-like materials which caused the fire to worsen in that area.) 

Some witnesses said that the father tried to rescue his son. 

“Yung apoy malakas na…Hindi na makuha yung bata kasi sabi daw nung tatay, narinig daw ng tatay na umiiyak yung bata,” said Marilou Gallo.

(The fire was already strong…The boy cannot be rescued easily and the father said that he heard his son crying.) 

Meanwhile, according to Ralph Obina’s report on Super Radyo dzBB, the grieving father mourned over his son’s body before it was brought to the funeral parlor. 

Further, among those who were injured were four firemen who responded to the incident.

Information from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) stated that the first alarm was declared at 6:25 a.m. before it was elevated to a second alarm at 6:53 a.m.

Manila and Makati fire responders also provided assistance to their counterparts in Mandaluyong.

As of 12:08 p.m., the fire along the lechon shop and warehouses was under control, but responders were working hard to extinguish the fire in the nearby junk shop. 

However, the BFP has yet to identify the cause of the fire. 

“Siguraduhin natin na yung ating mga electrical connections ay maayos, standard po. Iwasan po natin ang overload connection, octopus connection, jumper iwasan din po natin ‘yan. At siyempre yung kitchen fires po, kapag tayo nagluluto o nagsasaing, wag po natin iwanan na unattended,” said Pillula. 

(Please make sure that our electrical connections are properly wired. Let’s avoid overload and octopus connection as well as using jumper. When it comes to kitchen fires, let’s be careful when we are cooking or preparing rice.) —Vince Angelo Ferreras/KG, GMA Integrated News