Fire kills 16 people in Philippines

Manila, Nov 2: Sixteen people have been killed and 58 houses destroyed in a fire in central Philippine city, police and fire officials said.

City fire chief Pamela Rojane Candido said that the fire occured before dawn in a slum area in Bacolod City, Negros Oriental province, 520 km south of Manila.

According to Candido, four of the fatalities were children and more than 3,000 people were left homeless by the fire.

Initial investigation indicated that the fire might have been caused by an unattended candle at a wooden two-storey boarding house.

Fourteen of the victims were trapped on the second floor of the boarding house, while two more were found in nearby houses, police Chief Inspector Rico Santotome said.

OneIndia News