Mother, 64, daughter, 24, killed in midnight fire

ILOILO CITY — A 64-yearold woman and her 24-year-old daughter died in a fire that broke out shortly after midnight of August 3 at Barangay So-oc in Arevalo district of Iloilo City.

Elnora Lariosa and her daughter Alysa were trapped inside their house where the fire started and spread into three other houses. The two sought refuge inside the comfort room at the ground floor where they were burned to death.

Elnora's son, 18-year-old Jude Michael, and granddaughter Trixie, 14, sustained burns but survived. They are now being treated at the Western Visayas Medical Center.

Based on reports, the two fatalities and two injured teenagers were alerted of the fire. The four went down to the ground floor but found the fire already blocking their possible exit. The kitchen at the back part of the house also had no exit door or window.

Jude Michael however braved the fire and went through the house's main door. Trixie, while suffering from burns, went back to the second floor and jumped off the window.

Elnora, a widow, had 12 children. A son, living in a room at the house extension, failed to rescue his mother and sister.

Senior Fire Officer 1 Rollin Hormina, Bureau of Fire Protection-Iloilo City investigator, said they received a distress call at around 12:11 a.m.

Around four minutes after, the first responding units arrived at the scene and at 12:44 a.m., or about 30 minutes later, the fire was contained. Fire out was declared at 1:19 a.m.

Initial investigation showed that the cause of fire was “grounded electrical wires resulting in short circuit," Hormina said, explaining that there was a line at the ceiling between the living room and kitchen that got wet.

Meanwhile, fire investigators pegged the damage to property at P200,000.