79-year-old man dies in house fire

A 79-year-old man was killed when a fire caused by an unattended gas lamp razed their house in Barangay Damolog, Sogod Cebu Sunday evening.

Police Officer 3 Raymund Bacordo of Sogod Police identified the fatality as Leodegario Montecillo, a farmer.

Leodegario's wife, Alicia Montecillo, 77, was able to come out from their burning house during the incident despite being visually impaired. The two lived by themselves.

Bacordo said that the fire started at the kitchen of the victim's house where the gas lamp was situated.

Leodegario's body was also found totally burned in the kitchen. However, police are still waiting on the autopsy result before confirming cause of death as the wife claimed that she heard several burst of something she cannot identify prior to the incident.

As per the statement given by the wife to the police, there were two unidentified men with whom her husband had been talking to before the incident. She allegedly heard her husband ask the two men, “Kinsa man mo dong?” and later she heard another burst of sound which she believed to be from a gun.

“Pagtuo sa asawa nga gipusil iyang bana usa pa gisunog ilang balay sa mga wa mailhing tawo,” said Bacordo.

Alicia told police that she was able to escape the fire by crawling out from under the house after she was told by her husband to do so.