SMOKE billowing from the house of their neighbor alerted residents to a fire in Barangay Capi?ahan, Lemery, Iloilo on Feb 9, 2019.
It turned out that a 3-year old boy playing with a lighter had caused the fire, the local Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) station said.
The fire was reported at 3:55 p.m. Saturday.
BFP-Lemery Station immediately responded to the area, which is just 3 kilometers from the town proper.
Fire Officer 3 (FO3) Gerald Ramirez, BFP – Lemery Station investigator, said the area was hilly and the houses could only be accessed through an unpaved road with a ravine on one side.
That could be a reason why residents found it hard to bring pails of water to douse the fire, he said.
BFP personnel placed the fire under control at 4:04 p.m. and was declared out at around 4:10 p.m.
Prior to the incident, 36-year-old Teddy Borres left his home to go to San Rafael.
His wife also momentarily left their three children aged 9, 7, and 3 years old at their house.
The youngest child got hold of a lighter and played with it until it burned their curtain.
Neighbors, who just live a few meters from the Borres abode, immediately rescued the three children.
Ramirez said the house, which was made of concrete, was only partially damaged.
Luckily, it did not spread to neighboring houses.
Damage to property was estimated at P80,000.
