8-year-old Alex Tantuan Jr. has sadly died in a fire that recently happened in Payatas.
The child was left alone at home
According to the child’s mother, they opted to leave their son alone at home to sleep since he has classes in the afternoon. Meanwhile, she, along with her husband and 2 other children went out to scavenge for trash that they can sell to junk shops.
Sadly, they were not aware that they would soon regret their decision to leave their child at home.
Three homes and three junk shops were affected by the blaze
The fire started at around 10:16 in the morning, and reached the third alarm before it was put out about an hour later. Three homes and three junk shops which contained flammable materials such as paper and cartons added to the intensity of the blaze.
There were also a number of residents who were injured during the blaze, including a man named Cesar Aguilar whose left arm was burned, and a woman named Rochelle del Monte who received burns on her face and arms.
Another man was taken to an ambulance since he had trouble breathing. Currently, authorities still have no infomation regarding the exact cause of the blaze.
Keeping kids safe in case of a fire
Teaching your kids what to do in case a fire happens is very important since your kids need to know what they can do for themselves in case a fire breaks out and there are no adults to help them. Here are some useful tips that you should teach your children:
- Make sure that they know how to get out of your home in case a fire breaks out. Similarly, they should also familiarize themselves with the locations of fire exits in their schools so that they know where to go.
- Teach them to identify risks. If they see a closed door with smoke coming out of it, then it’s not safe to go through that door since there’s fire on the other side.
- They should be aware of their surroundings. They should always be alert in case of a fire, since a fire weakens the structure of a building, and may cause walls or posts to collapse.
- Keep low. One of the top causes of death inside a burning structure is actually smoke inhalation, and not the fire itself. Keeping low is important since smoke tends to rise up; keeping low lets them avoid smoke, and smoke inhalation.
- Look for an adult. If they’re trapped inside a burning building, such as their school, it’s important that they try to get help from an adult who can help them escape safely. It’s also important to move as far away from the burning building as possible, and to make escape a top priority.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
READ: 4-year-old thought to be playing outside dies in Quezon City fire
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