Two children die in house fire in Purok 1, Apex Village, Barangay Elizalde, Maco, Davao de Oro, after being trapped inside their burning home.
Initial investigations by authorities revealed that the fire occurred around 9 a.m., engulfing the residence owned by the victims’ family.
The children, aged three years and one year, were unable to escape during the blaze.
The eldest sibling was rescued promptly by local residents.
Reports indicate that an unattended candle, which had been left burning and subsequently toppled over, ignited the fire.
At the time of the incident, the children’s father was at work, while their mother was in Manila preparing to go abroad.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), there were 18,217 fire incidents recorded nationwide from January 1 to December 30, 2024, marking an 11.2% increase from the previous year.