A MOTHER died after saving her two children in a fire that destroyed their ancestral house at Makiling Street in Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City Saturday night, July 7.
Chief Inspector Publio Doctora Ploteña, fire marshal of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod, identified the fatality as Hannah Mae Garaygay, 31.
Ploteña said Garaygay was watching a television inside her bedroom with her two children when the fire broke out from one of the bedrooms of the house at around 11:40 p.m.
The victim's family members were able to go out of the house before the fire spread to other portion of the house which was made of light materials.
Garaygay found a way for her two kids to escape by letting them out through the window grilles.
Her younger brother assisted the children on their way out. The two kids were unharmed.
However, when she tried to escape using the same exit, she could not fit on the window grilles. She sought help but she was already trapped inside her bedroom.
For her family, Garaygay sacrificed her life for the sake of her two children.
Ploteña said the fire was initially caused by an electrical short circuit.
"The electrical wires were already brittle and old. The rain could also be a factor as the water may run through an open wire," he added.
Prior to the incident, there was a rain.
Ploteña said the fire was put out after 17 minutes.
He said the fire left an estimated P100,000 worth of damage to properties.