Infant dies in fire, 3 elder siblings survived

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A blaze which destroyed a house killed a one-year-old baby girl at Barangay Paraiso, Sagay City, Negros Occidental Thursday night.

Senior Fire Officer 4 Rodney Nadal, officer-in-charge of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Sagay City, identified the fatality as Mary Rose Lepangue.

Nadal said he received a call from the village chief about the fire which broke out around 8 p.m. while the four children were sleeping after having an early dinner.

Nadal said an unattended kerosene lamp initially caused the blaze, which left an estimated P10,000 worth of damage.

The victim’s nine-year-old elder brother first noticed the blaze and woke up his younger siblings aged 8 and 5. They all ran outside the house and were unharmed but they failed to rescue their youngest sister.

Nadal said her elder brother was supposed to save the victim left at the burning house but he was prevented by his uncle to return because the fire was already too big.

The victim was later found lying on their bamboo floor and was already dead.

Nadal said Jenny Rose Lepangue, mother of the children was not at home when the incident happened because she went out to charge her cellular phone.

The children and their mother were temporarily sheltered at their relatives.