BY NYARIKA DOMANAIS
ILOILO City – Yesterday morning, Jan. 3, fire engulfed a house in Zone 8, Uswag Subdivision, Barangay San Isidro, in the Jaro district.
It was reportedly caused by an unattended candle during a power outage.
The occupants, who were facing hours-long electricity disruption, resorted to using a candle for illumination. However, they inadvertently left it unattended, leading to the fire, as reported to the city’s Bureau of Fire Protection.
Virginia Valsado owned the affected house, which partially served as a thrift shop. The structure, primarily constructed from light materials, quickly succumbed to the flames, causing significant damage, including the ignition of sacks of clothes.
At the time of the fire, three caretakers, Lanie Ortiz, 33, Daniel Tipanan, 20, and Dimple Calsamer, 21, were managing the business.
Adjacent to this property, the house of Arlyn Baltazar, 39, also suffered partial damage due to the fire.
Firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze, declaring a “fire out” at approximately 7:37 a.m./PN
