A mother and her three children died in one another’s arms in Manila
while a man with autism made the fatal mistake of returning inside his
family’s burning house in Makati City as three separate fire incidents
blazed through Metro Manila on All Saints’ Day.
Forty-year-old Mary Grace Sundiya and her children Peter Gerrado Jr.,
5; Gerald Mark, 3; and Geraly, 1, were reportedly discovered still
locked in a tight embrace when they were discovered after a fire gutted
around 60 houses of light materials in Binondo, Manila Saturday that
also left about 100 families homeless.
In Makati, Troy John Bautista, 26, had already been led out to safety
by his sister from their burning bungalow located along Paraiso St.,
Barangay Pembo but, for no apparent reason, chose to return and get
something from his room. He died in the one-hour fire Sunday morning.
Another fire broke out in the same city at 9:25 p.m. Saturday on 18th
Ave. in East Rembo that gutted two houses but left no casualty.
The Sundiyas were in their makeshift house located inside an
abandoned building in Delpan, Binondo, Manila when the fire broke out.
Authorities said that the cause of the fire could have been a lit
candle that was left unattended in one of the houses to give respect to
departed relatives in observance of the “Undas” weekend – All Saints’
and All Souls’ Days.
It was also learned that Mary Grace’s husband, Gerardo Sr., had been
working the streets of Binondo as a pedicab driver when the fire
occurred.
He had reportedly rushed back to the family residence but came too late, arriving to a building that was already totally burned.
And in the midst of all the rubble, Manila firemen reportedly
discovered the mother and her three children still with their arms
around each other.
The other victims from the Manila fire were identified as Violeta
Acleta, 65, who suffered from suffocation; Mary Rose Reyes, 34, second
degree burns; Carlito Guevarra, 41, slight injury in the left thigh and
Solito Blanca, 32, with degree slight burns.
Makati fire official Segundino Comon reported that the Bautista
family was already fast asleep when fire broke out at 2:36 a.m. before
dawn Sunday.
The victim, who Comon said was autistic, was actually led out to safety by one of his sisters.
But according to a family member, none of them noticed that Bautista
had gone back into the house which was already engulfed in flames by
then.
Investigators have yet to confirm the cause of fire that started at Bautista’s room.
The fire reached first alarm and was put out at 3:40 am.
