Bed-ridden man dies in San Carlos fire

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A man with disability perished after his house was razed by fire at Sitio Bunga-Bunga, Barangay Nataban, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental last Monday.

Fire Officer 3 Joseph Earl Solivio, chief investigator of the San Carlos City Fire Station, identified the deceased as Ricardo Tignera, 44.

Solivio reported that the fire likely started in the kitchen, possibly from embers. However, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-San Carlos is still investigating the cause of the fire.

The fire broke out past 5 p.m., but the BFP was notified around 8 p.m., according to Solivio.

Solivio said the victim’s 12-year-old niece was the first to notice the fire and heard her uncle shouting for help. She quickly sought assistance from neighbors, but the fire rapidly intensified due to the house being made of light materials.

The victim was found deceased in his room. Solivio added that his elderly parents typically left him alone at home while they went to work.

The fire destroyed the house along with the family’s 3,000 newly harvested ears of corn. Solivio estimated the damage cost at P15,000, based on the affected area.

Solivio noted they arrived late at the fire scene due to the site’s distance from the city proper—approximately 29 kilometers by road plus a 1.5-kilometer walk.