Four people killed in Makati City fire

(Updated 11:00 a.m.) Four people have been reported killed in a fire that hit a residential area in Barangay Palanan in Makati City on Sunday morning.

Citing authorities, GMA  News' Bernadette Reyes said the charred remains of two people were first seen at the scene of the fire incident along Araro St.


^{--Bernadette Reyes}

A later report on "News TV Live" the two who died in the fire were a grandmother and her grandson.

In a later report, "News TV Live" said two other bodies were found at the fire site.

An earlier investigation, meanwhile, showed the fire broke out at 5:48 a.m. and was declared fire out at 6:16 a.m., but it left two people dead and 30 families homeless.

Investigators said that in spite firefighters' quick response, the fire spread quickly through houses made from light materials.

"These houses were two- to three-floor high ... but the fire spread quickly," said Makati City fire marshal Ricardo Perdigon.

He said the two human bodies were found just a few steps away from the street, puzzling authorities why the victims had failed to escape the fire.

"The bodies were found five steps away from the street. we are investigating if the victims were on the upper level of the house when the fire broke [out]," the official said.

An investigation on the possible cause of the fire is ongoing.

"We are looking at the possible use of 'jumpers' [illegal connections] as the cause of the fire," Perdigon added. — LBG, GMA News