Another child died in a fire in Bacolod City triggered by an unattended candle at 11:20 p.m. Saturday, May 25.
One-year-old Adelin Sayon died, and her sister Angela Sayon, 6, was injured in the fire that destroyed their home at Purok Active, Brgy Mandalagan, Bacolod City, FSupt. Jenny Mae Masip, City Fire Marshal, said on Sunday.
Masip said there were also about four partially damaged houses.
The 1-year-old child’s charred body was found face down on the floor. Her siblings said when they left the house she was asleep in a cloth makeshift hammock.
The child may have tried to escape the blaze as her body was found one meter away from the door, Masip said.
The 6-year-old was able to get out of the house and was rescued by a neighbor. When she was rescued she told the neighbor that her sister was still in the house but it was already engulfed in flames, Masip said.
The 6-year-old who was brought to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital sustained burns on both arms and her upper back, and superficial wounds on her forehead and nose covering 15 to 16 percent of her body.
Masip said the fire was caused by a candle placed on a plastic box.
The mother of the children was at work and their 17-year-old sister and 14-year-old brother tasked to care for them had gone to a nearby purok fiesta, Masip said.
The two younger siblings were alone in the house when the fire broke out.
The fire started at 11:20 p.m. and the Bacolod Fire Department received a call from Bacolod Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office at 11:32 p.m., Masip said.
When the firefighters arrived at 11:37 p.m. neighbors through a bucket brigade had already put the fire out, Masip said.
Firefighters had a hard time reaching the scene of the fire as the pathway was narrow and a live wire was down, she said.
Purok Active is among the areas in Bacolod tagged as red zones because of its road that is too narrow for fire trucks to enter. There are also illegally parked E-bikes, motorcycles and other vehicles obstructing the pathway, she said.
The houses made of light materials in the purok are built close to each so they are thankful that because of the “bayanihan” spirit of the residents the fire did not spread, Masip said.
The Sayon house had no electricity and its solar powered light did not work Saturday night so an older sibling lighted a candle.
The destroyed house made of light materials was valued at P4,000. Masip said.
Masip said they were told that in 2014 a fire had also hit the Sayon house.
Two children also died when a fire triggered by a candle that destroyed their home at Purok Lison, Brgy 1, Bacolod City, early Tuesday morning, May 20.
Masip called the two fire incidents where children died “very alarming”.
Children should be left in the care of responsible adults and candles should not be left unattended, she said.
She said the fire department will be coordinating further with the barangay officials to strengthen their fire prevention education campaign.*