4-year-old girl dies in Talisay, Cebu fire

A four-year-old girl died after their house caught fire in Talisay City, Cebu, last July 25, 2026. A relative, a six-year-old boy who was also inside the house, sustained burns on his right hand in the incident.

In a “24 Oras” report by GMA Regional TV’s Alan Domingo on Monday, the victim was identified as Adierey Borlasa.

According to the victim’s grandmother, the two children were sleeping in a second-floor room when the fire broke out.

According to the report, the girl's mother was away from home while her grandmother was selling at the market. Neighbours were the first to notice the blaze, but reportedly struggled to enter the room because it was locked from the inside.

“Kahit anong sipa, hindi nila mabuksan. Kaya’t ‘yung sliding giniba nila para makuha nila ang bata. Nasusunog na kaya’t binuhusan nila ng tubig,” said Belen Borlosa, the victim’s grandmother.

(No matter how hard they kicked it, they couldn’t open the door. So they broke down the sliding window to reach the child. The victim was already on fire, so they poured water over her.)

One of the first responders in the incident was a councilor who was just passing by the area. According to him, the victim was still alive and was rushed to the hospital, but she eventually passed away due to severe burns.

The six-year-old survivor is now recovering at home.

Meanwhile, the Talisay City Fire Station is still investigating the cause of the fire.

“Nakita naming initially na ang sanhi ay ‘yung clip fan na naka-clip sa upuan, nahulog sa sahig… Possible ‘yun na nag-overheat at nasa banda siya ng mga damit,” said Talisay Fire Intel and Investigative Section Chief SF01 Junriel Sibaoc.

(Initially, we saw that the cause was a clip fan attached to a chair, which had fallen to the floor... It’s possible that it overheated, and it was located near a pile of clothes.) —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/LDF, GMA News