ILOILO – A house fire early Wednesday morning killed a 38-year-old teacher and her three children in Barangay Pagdugue, Dumangas town.
Rhea Padios and her seven-year-old son and daughters aged six and three were sleeping when the fire broke out around 4:30 a.m., according to Senior Fire Inspector Michael Salvacion of the municipal Bureau of Fire Protection.
The blaze may have started from the bedroom and quickly spread to the other parts of the house, initial investigation revealed.
A loud explosion from the kitchen was later heard.
Arson investigators were looking into short circuit as the cause of the fire.
“Baka hindi na-check ang connection. Mabilis kumalat ang apoy kasi ang bahay made of light materials,” Salvacion told Panay News.
The three dead children were discovered hugging each other while their mother was covering them.
“They might have been suffocated kaya hindi agad naka-alis,” he added.
Dumangas’ Mayor Ronaldo Golez said the local government would be extending financial aid.
Rhea’s husband was a seafarer. He is being quarantined in Manila and scheduled to go back to work./PN
