BACOLOD CITY — A mother and her daughter died in a fire that destroyed seven houses at Purok Bayanihan, Barangay Taculing here at 8:47 a.m. on Monday, April 17, 2023.
Mengel Itchon, 39, a stroke patient, reportedly told her three-year-old daughter to leave her and run to safety. However, the child still tried to pull her mother out of their burning house, according to Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez, who responded to the fire alarm.
When their charred bodies were found, the girl was seen still clutching the hand of her mother.
Benitez said he is waiting for the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) report on what caused the fire.
“We will focus on prevention rather than thinking of what to give them when they are hit by a fire,” he said.
“I can share the grief. It should not happen again,” he added.
Damage was pegged at about P300,000.
Benitez said the city government would conduct an assessment as to where there are possible fire-prone areas and take extra measures to prevent similar incidents from happening.
The mayor said there is also a plan to create unified command response centers composed of the BFP, the police, and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to ensure a more efficient response to calamities in five cluster areas in Bacolod.
RELATED STORY:
Bacolod City fire destroys 32 houses; displaces 170 residents
11-month-old baby dies in Cebu City fire