Fire kills bedridden senior, injures neighbor in Binalbagan

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – A bedridden senior citizen perished in a fire while her neighbor sustained injuries following a late-night blaze on Saturday in Sitio Garazon, Barangay San Jose, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.

Fire Officer 2 Joseph Salarda, the intelligence and investigation section chief at the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Binalbagan, reported that a 76-year-old woman, who was trapped in her bedroom, succumbed to the incident.

Salarda stated that the emergency call was received around 11 p.m. According to him, the woman was home alone after her companions had briefly stepped out.

The elderly woman’s neighbor, who was asleep at the onset of the fire, was jolted awake by his child. Despite the 51-year-old neighbor’s efforts to contain the fire, it spread too quickly, resulting in second-degree burns, Salarda explained.

The fire ravaged a total of four homes, inflicting an estimated P282,000 in damages.

Investigators have traced the initial flames to a kitchen area, but the exact origin of the fire is still being determined, added Salarda.

The fire was extinguished at 12:35 a.m., and the investigation into the cause is ongoing.