An 83-year-old woman, Lita Abella, died after being trapped inside her burning wooden house in Purok Avocado, Barangay Calajo-an, Minglanilla, before dawn on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
The victim's brother, Alex Obsiama, noticed the flames at 4:38 a.m. and sought help from neighbors, but residents failed to rescue Abella due to her age-related mobility difficulties.
Firefighters are investigating the exact cause, suspecting the blaze started from an overturned lamp or unattended mosquito coils, while the victim's child returned home intoxicated at 6 a.m.
A FIRE claimed the life of an 83-year-old woman after her house was razed in Barangay Calajo-an, Minglanilla before dawn on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
The victim was identified as Lita Abella, a resident of Purok Avocado in the said War against illegal drugs to conduct an inquiry into the incident.
Police said they received information from the Bu reau of Fire Protection (BFP) that a person had died after failing to escape from a burning house.
Investigators then responded Initial investigation showed that the victim’s brother, Alex Obsiama, whose house stood near Abella’s residence, woke up around 4:38 a.m. to answer the call of nature.
Obsiama said he noticed flames near the victim’s house and discovered that the structure was already en gulfed in fire. He sought help from neigh bors, who contacted firefight ers to respond to the blaze.
Authorities said the wood en house caused the fire to spread fast, trapping the vic tim inside as residents failed to rescue her.
Relatives said Abella al ready had difficulty moving because of her age. Her child was not at home during the in cident after attending a fiesta in Linao-Lipata.
The victim’s child reportedly arrived home around 6 a.m. and was allegedly intoxicated, police said.
Investigators suspect the fire may have started from a lamp used by the victim that could have tipped over or from unattended mosquito coils left burning inside the house.
Firefighters in Minglanilla were still conducting an in vestigation to determine the exact cause of the fire. (AYB)
