By REYAN ARINTO
TACLOBAN CITY—Tragedy struck anew to a family that survived the fury of super typhoon Yolanda (international code name: Haiyan) killing six of its members when a fire engulfed their tent in Barangay 88-Costa Brava, San Jose district, this city early Wednesday morning.
Fire probers identified the victims as Maria Elisa Ocenar and her children Cathleen, 11; Justine, 10; Jan Mark,6; Jovelyn,5; and Jasmine Claire, 3;
A four-month old baby girl who suffered third-degree burns was brought to Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) for treatment.
Renante Ocenar, head of the family, was not at home when the fire happened.
Fire Officer I Anthony Duran of the Tacloban City Fire Department said the fire broke out at about 12:40 a.m. when an unattended kerosene lamp fell off the ground and set their tent on fire.
The Ocenar family is one of the more than 200 families who continue to live in temporary shelters in San Jose district six months after super typhoon Yolanda swept away their houses.
Duran said neighbors were awakened by a woman screaming for help but was already too late to get help because flames have razed the tent.
Tents built in the area were donated by the United Nations and several international aid organizations.
Several families affected by super typhoon Yolanda have been living in so-called “tent cities” in various part of Leyte and Samar provinces.
As of April 2014, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 6,293 death; 28,669 injured; and 1,061 are still missing due to the typhoon.
The NDRRMC said Yolanda affected 3,424,593 families or 16,078,181 people in 12,139 barangays in 44 provinces, 591 towns and 57 cities.
Damaged to infrastructure and agriculture was estimated at P39.82 billion.