BACOLOD City – A one-year-old baby girl died while her six-year-old sister sustained injuries after a fire broke out at their home in Purok Active, Barangay Mandalagan, around 11:32 p.m. on Saturday, May 24.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod City identified the fatality as Adelin Sayon and the injured child as Angela, both of whom were left inside their house when the fire erupted.
According to initial investigations, their two older siblings, aged 18 and 14, had gone out to attend a public dance event (locally known as baylehan) while their mother was at work as a household helper.
Fire Superintendent Jenny Mae Masip, City Fire Marshal, stated that the fire was caused by an unattended candle placed on a plastic container.
The fire was placed under first alarm status and was quickly contained by residents using a bucket relay, which helped prevent the flames from spreading to nearby houses. The estimated property damage was pegged at P40,000.
Angela is currently confined at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) for treatment of multiple burn injuries.
This tragic incident comes just days after another deadly blaze on May 20, which claimed the lives of two children— a six-year-old boy and his eight-year-old sister — and injured their 63-year-old grandfather in Barangay 1. That fire was also allegedly caused by an unattended candle.
Authorities continue to strongly warn the public against leaving children unsupervised in homes where candles are used for lighting, emphasizing the danger such situations pose./PN
