At least 8 die in predawn Pasay fire

At least eight people believed to be stay-in workers were killed in a fire that razed a commercial-residential building used as a DVD player warehouse in Pasay City before dawn Friday.

The victims, some of whom were said to be female workers from Dumaguete City, were trapped inside the factory at P. Samonte Street in Barangay 47, radio dzBB’s Henry Herdillo reported.

Pasay fire marshal Chief Inspector Douglas Guiyab cited initial information indicating the fatalities’ bodies were found piled in the building’s second floor.

While initial reports said the building was used as a factory for DVD players, Guiyab in a separate dzBB interview clarified it was merely used as a warehouse.

“Storage lang po ito,” he said.

He also said they plan to interview at least nine survivors of the fire to get a more accurate picture of what happened.

Damage to property was initially estimated at P1.2 million.

Investigators are verifying information the workers could not get out because factory owner Juanito Go had their room padlocked, but Go denied the claim.

A separate dzBB report said some of the other workers managed to escape by jumping to the roof of an adjacent building.

Investigation showed the fire started at about 1 a.m., and reached the second alarm, and was placed under control at 3:02 a.m.

The burned establishment was a two-story commercial-residential building. — Joel Locsin/ELR, GMA News