69-year-old woman dead in Quezon City fire

A 69-year-old woman died following a fire in Barangay Matandang Balara, Quezon City on Monday morning.

The lone casualty was initially reported missing. 

“Nakalabas na raw po ‘yun, maraming nakakakita. Kaso, bumalik kasi may kukunin daw,” said Joey Sabido, who was looking for his 69-year-old mother, in Mark Salazar’s 24 Oras report. 

(A lot of people saw her leave the house. But she went back in to get something.) 

She was later found under a pile of debris after being trapped during the fire that lasted for more than an hour.

According to Allan Gatus’ report on Super Radyo dzBB, relatives had begged the victim not to go back in the house.

FIRE UPDATE: (As of 10:49 am) Sunog sa ilang bahay sa bahagi ng Brgy. Old Balara, Quezon City, naapula na; isa, sugatan; isa, napaulat na nawawala. | via @allangatus pic.twitter.com/s7HtY7k5dl

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) January 27, 2025

A 40-year-old man was also injured in the fire after suffering second degree burns on his left shoulder.

Some 15 houses in Barangay Matandang Balara were razed by fire. But some houses in the nearby Pook Dagohoy in Barangay UP Campus also caught fire. 

The Bureau of Fire Protection said that the first alarm was declared at 9:14 a.m. It was later elevated to second alarm at 9:20 a.m. until it was declared out at 10:49 a.m.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/KG, GMA Integrated News