Mom to be given more time to issue statement

DAWN FIRE. Residents of Acacia Place Subdivision on Salvador Ext., Barangay Labangon, watch the burned house of June Estella Myatt, a Filipina married to a Briton, that was hit by a fire predawn on Saturday, killing her two children.
(CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

POLICE are giving the mother of the children who died in last Friday’s fire in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City more time to talk to them.

“The mother should have been at the hospital now because she sustained some injuries. We don’t want to add to her burden. She should be emotionally stressed now,” said Senior Supt. Joel Doria, Cebu City Police Office director.

According to their neighbors, June Myatt, the mother of the children, jumped off the terrace outside the master’s bedroom during the fire.

Doria said they would want a statement from the family for record purposes since two children died. He added that he understood the situation of the family and he would not force the mother to give them her statement regarding the incident for now.

However, he said the Cebu City Fire Department would be the one handling the investigation of the fire.

He said the police would only come in if it would be a case of arson.

Cebu City Fire Marshall, Chief Rogelio Bongabong, said they were still investigating the real cause of the fire.

“The investigation continues although there was an initial observation that it may have been caused by an air conditioning unit at the living room,” Bongabong said in an interview.

“We could not make any conclusion unless we investigated all aspects of the incident,” he added.

Elaine Margarte Myatt and her twin brother, Philet, were sleeping in their bedroom with their nanny when the fire struck their house in Acacia Place Subdivision last Friday.

They were found lying in their bedroom by the firefighters and the nanny was found unconscious inside the comfort room. They were all rushed to the hospital, but the twins did not make it alive.