Two persons were killed in a fire that razed four boarding houses to the ground in Barangay San Nicolas, La Paz, Iloilo City. Three boarding houses operated allegedly without business permits.

The fatalities were identified as Lynrose Sobretodo and Renz Aguilar who were renting spaces in the affected area. Sobretodo, 26 years old, was said to be from Casalsagan, Pototan town in the Province of Iloilo, while Aguilar, exact age undetermined yet as of this writing, was from Concepcion town, and a third-year Engineering student of the University of San Agustin.

Fire Supt. Melanie Habawel, city fire marshal, confirmed of the identities of the two casualties. The two were believed to be fast asleep when the fire broke out in the afternoon of February 18, 2024.

Aside from the four boarding houses, another three houses were burned partially. 

Thirty-three boarders sought temporary shelter at the Graciano Lopez Jaena Elementary School along with over a hundred affected residents.

As of this writing, fire investigators are still to determine the cause of the fire.

NO BUSINESS PERMIT

Three of the four boarding houses were found to be operating without a permit from the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO).

One of these was the boarding house owned by a certain Rocky Gordon where the two bodies were retrieved.

Based on the records of BPLO, as of February 19, 2024, the three boarding houses sans permit, or did not purportedly go through permit processing, are that of one Rocky Gordon, a certain Johna Guadalupe, and one Arnel Tormon.

However, based on records of the Boarding House Commission in Iloilo City, they have Tormon on their list.

It was learned that the Boarding House Commission inspects and monitors the operation of boarding houses to ensure these have fire safety certificates and necessary permits, and impose closure should owners fail to comply with regulations.

It was learned further that Barangay San Nicolas has the most number of individuals who offer houses and rooms for rent. The total number, as of this writing, reached 68.

(via DYSI Super Radyo Iloilo and GMA Regional TV News)