DPWH 7 foreman’s charred body pulled out from razed house in Oslob

A FOREMAN of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH 7) was killed during a fire that struck Barangay Pasil in the southern town of Oslob, Cebu last Tuesday night, February 21, 2023.

The victim was identified as Ildebrando Villaver, a resident of Barangay Lawaan, Talisay City.

He and 14 others were renting a house owned by Editha Miran, a 60-year-old widow.

According to FO1 Christian Maturan, Oslob Fire Station investigator, they were in the town to make repairs on the national highway.

Maturan said they received the alarm at 9:50 p.m. and quickly raised the situation to first alarm. The fire was placed under control at 10:23 p.m. and declared fire out around 10:30 p.m.

Damaged estimates were placed at around P14,000.

Based on his investigation, the victim was alone sleeping when the fire broke out.

A neighbor, 64-year-old Laureta Serencia, called the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, the police and the fire station to report the incident after she saw the terrace of Miran’s house ablaze.

The Municipality sent a water tanker to the scene, but the flames had already engulfed the house when firefighters arrived.

Maturan said Villaver’s co-workers admitted that they had a drinking session earlier that night.

They also told him it was the victim’s habit to place a mosquito coil by his feet.

“Maybe he inadvertently kicked it and it fell on the old wooden floor,” Maturan said.

The room Villaver was sleeping in was also used as storage for construction materials that included paint, oil as well as gasoline, among others.

He said that maybe when the mosquito coil fell, it ignited the floor. The flames quickly spread because of the flammable materials inside the room, plus a lot of clothes were hanging on the wall that was made of amakan, or bamboo matting.

Maturan said Villaver probably didn’t immediately notice what was going on because he had a drink earlier.

Firefighters found Villaver’s charred body under the fire rubble. (GPL, PJB)