Argao house fire kills 3-year-old toddler

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A three-year-old child died in a residential fire in Argao town on Wednesday morning, June 17, as authorities continued to investigate what triggered the blaze that razed the victim’s home and damaged a neighboring house.

Fire Officer 3 Michael Angelo Rodriguez, fire investigator of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Argao, said firefighters received a report of the fire at around 8:45 a.m., although the blaze reportedly started at about 8:30 a.m.

Responders arrived at the scene at around 9:20 a.m. because the area was about 17 kilometers from the BFP station. Firefighters declared the fire out at around 10 a.m.

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“We received the call at 8:45 a.m. The fire reportedly started at 8:30 a.m. We arrived at around 9:20 a.m. because the area is almost 17 kilometers from the station. We declared the fire out at around 10 a.m.,” Rodriguez told CDN Digital in an interview.

The victim’s body was found outside the burning structure.

Argao disaster responder Erick Matos said several residents witnessed the child fall to the ground during the fire.

“Nahagbong na sa yuta ang bata. Daghan ang nakakita samtang nahitabo ang sunog nga natagak ang bata sa yuta, apan walay nakatabang o nipunit niini tungod sa kakusog sa kalayo,” Matos said.

(The child was already on the ground. Many people saw the child fall to the ground during the fire, but no one could approach because of the flames.)

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He added that the victim’s remains were already beyond recognition when responders reached the area.

Cause still under investigation

Rodriguez said investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire because the house sustained extensive damage.

“Karon, under investigation pa gihapon mi kay naay mga speculation bahin sa nahitabo, hilabi na sa casualty nga bata, diin naay istorya nga nagduwa kuno og lighter. But dili pami mohatag og conclusion,” he said.

(We are still conducting our investigation. There are speculations about what happened, especially regarding the child casualty, including claims that the child may have been playing with a lighter. But we cannot make any conclusions yet)

The investigator said authorities were waiting for a key witness before releasing any findings.

“Ang balay nga involved kay usa ka bungalow type nga elevated og gamay. Sa pagkakaron, wala pa gyud ma-pinpoint ang cause kay totally burned down na gyud ang balay, mao nang nagpaabot pa mi sa testigo…Naa mi gipaabot nga testigo, among testifier nga mopaklaro unsa gyud ang nahitabo,” Rodriguez added.

(The house involved was a bungalow-type structure elevated slightly from the ground. It was totally burned down, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause. We are waiting for the testimony of a witness before we conclude what really happened.)

The witness, he said, is the child’s uncle, who served as the child’s primary caregiver.

Child under uncle’s care

According to Rodriguez, the child’s mother had a mental disability and did not consistently care for the child.

“Ang nahitabo man gud, kining bataa, ang iyang inahan kay ‘mentally challenged’ o sa ato pa, naay deperensya sa panghunahuna. Kining bataa napasagdan sa iyang mama, pero under siya sa care sa iyang uyoan. Ang balay sa uyoan kay tapad ra pud sa nasunog,” he said.

(The child’s mother is mentally challenged. The child was often left unattended by the mother and was under the care of the uncle, whose house stands beside the burned structure.)

Investigators learned that relatives had fed the child earlier that morning before the incident.

“Gipakaon pa daw to nila ang bata og pamahaw kay wala lage ang mama diha. Homan pagpakaon ang nahitabo daw nisaka sa may taas-taas. Gikamusta nila taod-taod ang bata unya gipangutana nila asa iya mama ang tubag sa bata, nilakaw,” Rodriguez said.

(The last information we received was that they fed the child breakfast. After that, the child reportedly went upstairs. When they later checked on the child and asked where the mother was, the child replied that the mother had left.)

Authorities said the uncle’s house also sustained fire damage because of its proximity to the victim’s residence.

“The uncle’s house was also affected because the houses were very close to each other. Most of the portions that burned were made of light materials, while the concrete parts remained standing,” Rodriguez added.

Lighter theory not yet confirmed

Rodriguez acknowledged reports from neighbors claiming that the child had previously been seen playing with a lighter.

However, he stressed that investigators would not treat the information as a confirmed cause until they completed the investigation.

“Naay speculation nga nagduwa daw og lighter pero dili pa ko ka conclude ana kay akong gipaabot gyud katong uyoan mao may nakaila sa bata. Ang silingan nga uncle pud usa niingon nga kapila na makit-an magduwa og lighter, siguro ang speculation mao na siya pero dili namo i-finalize we are still waiting for the testifier,” he said.

(There is speculation that the child was playing with a lighter, but I cannot conclude that yet. One neighbor and the uncle reportedly said they had seen the child playing with a lighter several times before. That may be where the speculation came from, but we will not finalize anything until we get the testimony and complete the investigation.)

The uncle had yet to give a formal statement because he was reportedly working in a mountainous area at the time.

Mother arrived after fire was extinguished

Rodriguez said the child’s mother was not at the scene when firefighters arrived.

The investigator said people at the scene described the mother’s reaction as subdued.

“Kuan gyud, honestly speaking, ang giingon ra pagkakita niya sa cadaver bag niingon ra ang mama nga ‘Ah, mao diay ni ako anak namatay. Kaluoy gud tawon.’ pero ang nawong is emotionless. Maoy girelay sa amoa diri pero mao lage dili sad mi kakuan kay mentally challenged ang mama. There’s nothing we can do,” Rodriguez said.

(Honestly, what was relayed to us was that when she saw the cadaver bag, she simply said, ‘Ah, mao diay ni ako anak namatay. Kaluoy gud tawon’ (‘So this is my child who died. What a pity’). They said she appeared emotionless, but we cannot read too much into that because she is mentally challenged.)

He added that residents had previously observed the mother leaving home for long periods.

“Naay times nga pangitaon nana siya sa maong nadungan mulakaw ra na iyaha, unya mulakaw rana siya. Ug pangutan-on siya maka storya nimo siya pero the more imong pangutan-on mosimang na ang tubag. Maka-identify siya sa iyang name, iyang edad pero kung mga pangutana na uban mosimang na siya,” he said.

(There are times when people look for her and find that she has already left. She can answer basic questions such as her name and age, but when asked more complex questions, her responses tend to become unrelated.)

Seventh fire incident in Argao this year

The fatal blaze marked the first fire incident reported in Argao this June and the seventh fire incident recorded in the municipality this year, Rodriguez said.

“Most of the incidents this year involved electrical faults. There was also one residential fire caused by a grass fire,” he added.

The BFP urged parents and guardians to keep children away from fire hazards.

“My advice to parents is to closely guide young children and remind them not to play with lighters, matches, or any flammable materials that could start a fire. Keep these items out of children’s reach,” Rodriguez said.

Authorities have yet to release the official cause of the fire pending the completion of the investigation.

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