An 8-year-old girl who was left alone at home was charred to death when a fire destroyed their house at 10:45 p.m. Sunday in barangay Uling, City of Naga, southern Cebu.
Leona Abatayo, a grade three student of Uling Elementary was asleep when the fire, believed to be caused by a lighted candle, broke out.
Abatayo’s stepbrother, who lives with her was in another barangay during the incident.
Her parents, Jerry Abatayo, 35, and Rochan Briones, 37, are in jail after they were arrested for qualified theft four months ago.
Jerrybel Encina, a relative who lives nearby, called the Bureau of Fire Prevention when she saw the blaze.
But it was too late for when the firefighters arrived, the house which was made of light materials, was already totally burned.
SFO2 Ruseller Generalao, chief of the Naga fire department, said the fire may have been caused by a lighted candle that was left unattended.
Encina said the house does not have an electrical connection and candles were used for illumination.
Generalao said the candle may have melted and burned the wooden floor that triggered the blaze.
The girl’s charred body was found in her bedroom.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention has determined electrical misuse as the number-one cause of fires with unattended candles listed as one of the top causes of fires./WITH UP CEBU INTERN JULIENNE HAZEL PENSERGA