AN elderly woman died after she was trapped inside her burning house in Barangay Poblacion, Daanbantayan town located at the northern tip of Cebu province, Sunday morning.
The charred body of Marcelina Condiquillo, 96, was found inside her room located on one corner of her one-storey house.
Fire Officer 3 (FO3) Ferdilino Condino of the Daanbantayan Fire Substation said they had difficulty in entering Condiquillo’s home because of locks that were placed on its main entrance.
Condino said they found during their investigation that Condiquillo, a widow, was kept locked by her children inside her house to prevent her from leaving.
One of her children who lives about 25 meters away from their ancestral home would visit Condiquillo every day to give her food.
Condino said they received the fire alarm which was traced to have started from an electrical short circuit at 8:45 a.m. It was put out 20 minutes later.
Damage to property was pegged at P80,000.
“Nag overheat ang electric fan kay pirmi kuno nang pa andaron sa biktima (An overheated electric fan caused the fire. We were told that the victim would always have her electrical fan on),” Condino said.
Condino said they are now investigating the possible liability of Candiquillo’s children for keeping the victim locked inside her house.
On Saturday afternoon, a fire also razed the house owned by Celso Camacho in Barangay Cabungahan, Danao City.
Fire investigators suspect that Camacho was the one who burned his home that was made from light materials.
Responding firefighters saw Camacho, who was carrying a M14 armalite rifle, watch his house burn, said Danao City Fire Marshall Heide Daskeo.
Daskeo said they had to call for police assistance before fire fighters were able to enter the wooden fence which secured the shanty of Camacho who is now detained at the Danao Police Station detention cell while charges for arson and the illegal possession of a high-powered firearm is being prepared against him.