BY CYRUS M. GARDE
CADIZ City – Three children died in a fire that struck their nipa house in Sitio Aloyan, Brgy. Caduhaan here.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the fire was caused by embers from the kitchen of the Pelayo household.
The blaze started around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. That time, the parents of the three children were out looking for crabs, shells and fish in a nearby river.
The fire engulfed the house fast. By the time live-in partners Gella Pelayo and Kenneth Maquilan reached their house, it was already totally gutted.
The children were charred beyond recognition. They were six-year-old Princess, Grade 1 pupil at Aloyan Elementary School; three-year-old Jay Marie and one-year-old Joshua.
Fire Insp. Gregorio Otico of the Cadiz City BFP said they were only informed about the fire around 11:45 p.m.
The mountainous Sitio Aloyan was some 12 kilometers from the city’s center.
The children were buried at the Caduhaan public cemetery on Friday.
Otico said the youngest child may have tried getting out of the house. His body was recovered near the door of the house.
According to the parents, the house perished in just five minutes.
Barangay Captain Eduardo Javier and Mayor Patrick Escalante extended assistance to the couple./PN
