SABLAN, Benguet – A 77-year old widow died after a 2-hour fire gutted her 2-storey residence at sitio Calot, barangay Banangan, here, recently.
Police Col. Damian Olsim, Provincial Director of the Benguet Provincial Police Office, identified the fatality as Elena Santiago Langwas, 77, widow and a resident of Calot, Banangan, Sablan, Benguet.
Arson investigators disclosed that a 2-hour fire with a still undetermined cause allegedly gutted her residence that was made of concrete on the first floor and wood and galvanized iron on the second floor.
Firefighters from the municipality and nearby localities immediately responded to the fire scene but had a difficulty in containing the fire which was reportedly at its height.
Initial cost of damage to the burned structure was around P4.5 million while investigation is still on going on to ascertain the cause of the fire.
The victim’s relatives refused to bring her to the hospital to ascertain the cause of her death although arson investigators believe that she was suffocated while inside the structure that was being burned at the time of the incident.