• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A Grade 10 student died in a fire that hit his family home in Murcia, Negros Occidental early morning Feb. 17.
The fatality was identified as Clarence Vayne Hechanova, 15, of Hacienda Josefa 1 in Barangay Blumentritt.
He already managed to get out of the house together with his grandfather, but he decided to return to get his mobile phone and wallet.
In a radio interview, his aunt said that the night before, Hechanova’s grandfather lit a candle to mark the 40th day of his wife’s passing.
The unattended candle could have caused the fire that razed a total of three homes in the compound, based on the initial report.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) placed the damage on the three houses at P300,000.
The origin of fire is still being determined by investigators, the BFP said.
In Bacolod City, a fire broke out on Sunday at Purok Kitahanon in Barangay Banago.
Initial BFP investigation showed that the fire damaged a house owned by Anastasia Sayam, with estimated damage placed at P54,000.
No one was reported hurt. | GB
