Koronadal City fire kills 2 minors

KORONADAL CITY - Two children, aged 5 and 1, were charred to deathwhen afire of still unknown origin razed a residential house in Purok Libertad,Barangay Top Land, Koronadal City Wednesday morning, officials said.Trapped and charredinside the house made of concrete andlight materials were 5-year-oldJohn Fritz Atubang and his younger sister, known as IC, one year old. Arnel Atubang, the victims father and a tenant of a farm lot, said he was working some 30 meters away from the house when the conflagration erupted at past 10 a.m.Arnel has six children, three were schooling while the three others stay at home. A third child, three year old, immediately left the house to seek for help. He survived.Arson investigators found the victims' remains in a position that appeared they hugged each other untill death.Neighbors, who claimed they heard an explosion before the fire started, theorized the elder child could havetried to save his younger sister who was asleep in a hammock at the second floor of the two-story structure.Arnel's wife was in Poblacion Koronadal for medical check up when the unfortunate incident occurred.The Bureau of Fire Protection investigators are still determining what triggered the explosion and the conflagration.The city disaster risk reduction and management council is extending financial assistance to the Atubang family.