By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – An 85-year-old man succumbed to injuries after being stabbed by his nephew, who is suspected of mental illness and also accused of setting his brother’s house on fire at Purok Bougainvillea, Barangay Antipolo, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental last Monday.
Police reports indicate that the elderly victim attempted to calm the 36-year-old suspect, who retaliated by stabbing him with the steel handle of an umbrella.
Sustaining head and neck injuries, the man was rushed to the Don Salvador Benedicto Memorial District Hospital in La Carlota City, where he was pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, a blaze devastated two houses and five other structures in Barangay 8, Isabela town last Monday. Annie Rose Limsiaco, Senior Fire Officer 3 and acting municipal fire marshal, noted that the fire originated in the living room of a two-story house at approximately 4:15 a.m.
She explained that the upper floor served as living quarters, while the ground floor hosted various commercial entities. The fire spread rapidly to adjacent buildings due to the flammable nature of the construction materials.
The destruction included two completely gutted houses and five partially damaged structures, with losses estimated at P85,000. Preliminary investigation suggests an electrical fault due to an overheated fan as the potential cause.
The fire escalated to a second alarm, calling for support from nearby Binalbagan and Moises Padilla fire stations. All occupants, despite being asleep at the onset of the fire, escaped unharmed. The situation was brought under control and extinguished by 6:05 a.m.
