16-year-old person with autism dead after being trapped in fire 

A 16-year-old person with autism died after being trapped in their burning house in Barangay Malanday, Valenzuela City on Monday morning. 

According to Oscar Oida’s exclusive report on “24 Oras” on Monday, the victim was left with younger siblings at their home while their father was working. 

“‘Yung dalawa nagbantay. Iniwan ko silang tatlo kaninang madaling araw. Tulog na tulog naman yung dalawa. Kaya yung isang special child umakyat sa taas,” the father said. 

(The two [siblings] were supposed to keep watch. I left the three of them early this morning. The two were sound asleep. That’s why the child with special needs was able to go upstairs.) 

Initial investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) showed that the fire started in the kitchen located on the second floor. 

“It’s still under investigation, we cannot give official statement kung ano talaga yung naging cause pero nagsimula ito possible yung kalan na may open flame… kasi yun yung nakita na seat of fire, na pinakamalaking damage, may super kalan na nandoon,” said Valenzuela City Fire Marshal Fire Supt. Maria Teresa Alqueza. 

(It’s still under investigation, we cannot give an official statement yet as to the actual cause, but it possibly started from the stove with an open flame… because that was identified as the seat of the fire where the damage was greatest, there was a 'super kalan' there.) 

Meanwhile, the victim’s mother regrets leaving their home during the New Year’s Eve after a misunderstanding with her husband. 

“E kasi nagkasamaan lang po kami ng loob …pero di ko po inaasahan na ganito mangyayari sa amin,” she said. 

(It’s because we just had a misunderstanding... but I didn't expect that something like this would happen to us.) 

Meanwhile, their neighbors, who were also affected by the fire incident, can’t help but express their frustration. 

They claim that the mother used to give the victim a lighter to calm down. 

“Lagi niya po kasi niya ibinibili ng lighter yung anak niya, lighter na maliit, lagi niya sinisindihan ‘yun. Nung naglayas po siya, sinabihan namin yung dalawang anak niya na bantayan nyo kapatid niyo, baka maglaro ng lighter,” said landlady Fritz Bigueras. 

(She would always buy her child a lighter, a small one, and they would always light it. When she [the mother] left, we told the two children to watch over their sibling, because they might play with a lighter.) 

The BFP said that witnesses alleged that the victim calms down at the sight of a flame. 

“Hindi natin pwede i-rule out right away na pacifier niya. Pero based sa aming pagtatanong sa mga witnesses, medyo nagka-calm down nga daw po yung ating victim kapag nakakakita siya ng flame,” said Alqueza. 

(We cannot rule out right away that it served as a 'pacifier'. But based on our questioning of witnesses, the victim would reportedly calm down whenever they saw a flame.) 

“Very vulnerable sectors ang mga persons with disabilities. So hindi natin dapat pababayaan na maiiwan sila sa bahay na unattended (We should not leave them at home unattended),” she added. 

There were four other families who were affected by the fire, the report said. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/LDF, GMA Integrated News