TWO children aged six and three perished in a fire that hit a bunkhouse in Zamboanga del Sur, the police reported.

Chief Inspector Helen Galvez, Police Regional Office (PRO) Zamboanga Peninsula information officer, said the children were trapped inside the bunkhouse owned by businessman Robinson Restojas.

Fire broke out at 5:05 p.m. Friday, February 8, in Purok Talaba in the village of Camanga in Dumalinao, Zamboanga Del Sur.

Galvez said the children, whose identities were withheld, entered the bunkhouse around 4:40 p.m. based on footage from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera.

The father of one of the victims arrived 15 minutes later and locked the door of the bunkhouse without noticing that the children were inside.

Galvez said the two children could not get out when flames engulfed the bunkhouse. A sports utility vehicle was also damaged during the incident. Investigation is ongoing.