A senior citizen was killed after she was trapped inside her burning home in Sitio Caduldolan, Barangay Lawaan III in Talisay City, Saturday night, July 31. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Elizabeth Echavez, 63, left their home in Sitio Caduldolan, Barangay Lawaan III in Talisay City Saturday night, July 31, to buy dinner that she would share with her older sister, Tionela.
But fire razed their home while she was away and killed Tionela, 72.
Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Jason Balabag of the Talisay City Fire Department said Tionela, who experiences walking difficulty because of her myoma, was trapped inside their burning home.
Balabag said an unattended gas lamp may have caused the flame.
The sisters, he said, use a gas lamp at night since they do not have electricity.
Rose Marie Disomimba, a realtive, told fire investigators that the two sisters, who are both unmarried, share a home.
Disomimba said that neighbors tried to save Elizabeth when the fire broke shortly after 7 p.m. but thick smoke had already engulfed their one storey home that was made of concrete materials.
But they managed to contain the fire and prevented this from also affecting nearby homes.
Damage caused by the Saturday night fire was pegged at P150, 000.
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