BY JEN BAYLON
BACOLOD City – The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Murcia, Negros Occidental is currently investigating to ascertain the cause of the fire on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Hacienda Josefa-1, Barangay Blumentritt.
The tragedy took the life of Clarence Vayne Hechanova, a Grade 10 student at Negros Occidental High School-Murcia.
According to Senior Fire Officer 2 Reymar Banaglorioso, arson investigator of BFP-Murcia, their initial probe indicates that the fire may have been caused by a candle that was lit by the victim’s grandfather at their altar.
It was reportedly an offering from Clarence’s grandfather, Justiniano Fernandez, to his grandmother, who recently died.
Justiniano discovered the fire past 2 a.m., woke up his grandson, and evacuated the house together. Unfortunately, Clarence went back inside to retrieve his wallet and cell phone but did not make it out of the burning house.
Clarence’s mother is an overseas Filipino worker and had just sent the lad’s allowance a day before the fire.
A total of four houses were engulfed by the flames, three of which were reported as totally damaged and the other one as partially damaged, according to Banaglorioso.
The fire prompted a first alarm response from the authorities, and the total estimated damage amounted to over P300,000.
BFP-Murcia emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of homes, especially when leaving them unattended.
“Siguraduhon ta gid permi ang aton panimalay, especially kung maglakat kita nga wala sang tawo, i-secure ang mga appliances, panggabuton gid ang mga nakasaksak, siguraduhon nga wala may nagkarabilin. Kung galuto kita indi naton pagpabay-an. Kag kung mag gamit kita kandila, siguraduhon gid nga nakabutang sa insakto, kag na-secure gid,” Banaglorioso told Panay News./PN
