3 die in Manila blaze

MANILA, Philippines — At least three people died in a fire that broke out in a residential area in Barangay 732 in Malate, Manila on Thursday night.

The bodies of Policarpio siblings Nate, 8, and Jana, 21, were found in the second-floor bathroom of their home on Isidro street.

Another fatality was Dennis Canonizado, 47, a bedridden patient.

The fire, which reached second alarm, started at around 6:18 p.m. and was put out two hours later, the Bureau of Fire Protection reported.

Jacob Rivera, whose family’s apartment is beside one of the houses that burned down, told The STAR that he noticed people behind their home were shouting about a fire “and it was already big.”

He added that if the firefighters had been delayed by a few minutes, their apartment would have burned down as well.

The fire spread to at least five houses. Arson probers have yet to determine what caused the fire and the estimated cost of damage.