• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
An 85-year-old female senior citizen was killed by a fire as she was unable to leave her house at Ruiz Subdivision, Purok 6, Brgy. Talubangi, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, at around 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Initial investigation by the authorities revealed that the house, owned and occupied by the victim and her family, was totally destroyed by fire. However, authorities noted that the cause of the fire was yet to be determined.
The police said that during the incident, the elderly woman was unable to leave the house as fire consumed her residence.
This resulted in her death, as she was totally burnt, police stressed.
Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda said in an interview that the blaze consumed their house since it was made with light materials. He further said that the burnt residence was recognized to be an ancestral house.
The mayor vowed that the city government will extend financial aid and funeral support to the bereaved family.
Authorities confirmed that the fire was declared out at about 1:25 a.m. of the next morning and the cause of the incident is still under investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Kabankalan. The estimated cost of property damage is yet to be determined.*
