Two children died after they got trapped inside their house that caught fire in Purok 1, Brgy. Manga, Tagbilaran City, Bohol on Wednesday evening, August 14. | Photo from Mayor Jane Yap FB
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A three-year-old girl and her one-year-old baby brother were killed when their house caught fire in Purok 1, Brgy. Manga, Tagbilaran City, Bohol on Wednesday evening, August 14.
The blaze reportedly started while the young children were sleeping. Despite their father’s desperate attempt to rescue them, the two met their untimely death in the incident.
The family of four lived in a small house made of light materials located near an elementary school in Brgy. Manga.
At around 8:10 p.m. on Wednesday, the house suddenly caught fire while the father and his children were sleeping inside.
READ: 4-month-old baby dies in fire in Tagbilaran
The mother was reportedly working somewhere outside of Bohol province.
Firefighters arrived at 8:16 p.m. and quickly brought the fire under control within two minutes, completely extinguishing it by around 8:30 p.m.
Police Lieutenant Colonel John Kareen Escober, chief of Tagbilaran City Police Station, reported that two children were trapped inside the house because the door was blocked.
Their father, 54-year-old Edgardo Lasco, tried to save them but couldn’t. He suffered severe burns and was rushed to Gov. Celestino Gallares Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
Escober said that the fire spread rapidly, preventing neighbors from rescuing the children.
The fire destroyed the family’s house and two neighboring homes, causing an estimated P25,000 in damages. Fire officials are investigating the cause.
Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap urged residents to pray for Lasco’s recovery.
In a social media post, she revealed that the family made a living by selling bamboo furniture from their home. Car batteries, lamps, paint, and paint thinners were found inside the burned house.
While Lasco is fighting for his life, the children’s bodies have been taken to a funeral home.
Yap promised to assist the mother in returning home and will cover the burial and hospitalization expenses. She also advised the public to be careful with electrical wiring and flammable materials in their homes. /clorenciana