A 46-year-old purok official died after he got trapped inside a house that was razed by fire in General Santos City on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Residents of Purok 5 New Society in Barangay Apopong noticed the fire at around 12:30 a.m.

Firefighters put the fire out an hour later only to find the charred remains of the purok kagawad where the house stood once.

The kagawad is the brother of the house owner.

Authorities believe he was sleeping alone in the house and was not able to wake up when the fire broke out.

“Wala gyud siya kamata pagsunog. Hubog, nakainom lagi daw,” a family member, Michael Galo, said.

The victim's remains have been turned over to his family.

The Bureau of Fire Protection is still investigating the cause of the fire, as of this writing, but the barangay said the blaze may have been caused by a problem in electrical wiring.

“Allegedly, ang cause sa sunog ay dahil sa faulty wiring,” Barangay Apopong Chairman Paolo Natividad said.

To prevent similar fire incidents, barangay officials urged residents to have their electrical wiring inspected, warning that the recent earthquake may have damaged or exposed electrical lines, creating potential fire hazards.

“Sa nangyaring lindol, baka hindi natin alam na may wirings pala naputol, na expose… wirings na naapektuhan, na-detach or kung ano man, naga-ground na pala… hope na ipa-check natin,” Natividad said.