CABIAO, Nueva Ecija – Three medical students were killed while another was rescued when fire gutted a clinic in Barangay Sta. Inez here early morning Tuesday.
Chief Insp. Peter Madria, town police chief, identified the fatalities as Cecille Quintos, 25, of Paranaque; Jen Morillos, 22, of Las Pinas and Jessa Perez, 24, of San Maria, Bulacan. They succumbed to third degree burns caused by the fire that razed down the Cabiao Community Clinic (CCC) at about 2:45 a.m., police said.
The victims were all medical students of St. Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City and undergoing internship here, investigation showed.
Firemen rescued Miguel Ramos, one of the interns, and was rushed to St. Lukes Hospital, said Madria.
The four students, who were on-duty at the CCC when the incident occurred, were just on their second week of internship.
Fire Officer 3 Baby Boy Esquivel, town fire marshal, said that they are still investigating the cause of the fire at the clinic’s second floor.
He said the four may have fallen asleep and were awakened when the fire had already spread, burning and destroying medical equipment, appliances and other properties.
Esquivel ruled arson as the cause of the fire, saying “if it were so, then arsonists would have also burned the ground floor. We are looking at faulty electrical wiring or a possible gas stove explosion inside the building as the cause.”
Responding firemen from the nearby towns of San Isidro and Jaen and Gapan City were able to put out the fire at 3:50 a.m.
At least P2-million worth of properties was destroyed, probers said.
Chief Insp. Peter Madria, town police chief, identified the fatalities as Cecille Quintos, 25, of Paranaque; Jen Morillos, 22, of Las Pinas and Jessa Perez, 24, of San Maria, Bulacan. They succumbed to third degree burns caused by the fire that razed down the Cabiao Community Clinic (CCC) at about 2:45 a.m., police said.
The victims were all medical students of St. Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City and undergoing internship here, investigation showed.
Firemen rescued Miguel Ramos, one of the interns, and was rushed to St. Lukes Hospital, said Madria.
The four students, who were on-duty at the CCC when the incident occurred, were just on their second week of internship.
Fire Officer 3 Baby Boy Esquivel, town fire marshal, said that they are still investigating the cause of the fire at the clinic’s second floor.
He said the four may have fallen asleep and were awakened when the fire had already spread, burning and destroying medical equipment, appliances and other properties.
Esquivel ruled arson as the cause of the fire, saying “if it were so, then arsonists would have also burned the ground floor. We are looking at faulty electrical wiring or a possible gas stove explosion inside the building as the cause.”
Responding firemen from the nearby towns of San Isidro and Jaen and Gapan City were able to put out the fire at 3:50 a.m.
At least P2-million worth of properties was destroyed, probers said.
