Bien Unido town dads cheat death in fire

Five municipal councilors cheated death when the Mitsubishi Pajero van that they were riding burst into flames last July 6. Initial reports identified the passengers as Councilors Simplicio Rosales, Carlito Cabansay, Ricardo Soriso, Petronilo Justiniano and John Felix Garcia, who is also the Sangguniang Kabataan federation president. Rosales, 64, a resident of Barangay Mandawa, Bien Unido town, was owner of the green Pajero with plate no. GT-545.

The Bien Unido town dads were on their way to Carmen town to attend a conference when the incident happened. According to reports gathered by responding policemen, the van carrying the councilors was negotiating the highway on the way to the venue of the conference. Upon reaching Sitio Ughob 2, Barangay Camanaga in San Miguel town, the passengers noticed the smell of burning object. Rosales immediately pulled the van to a stop to find out where the smell came from.

When the hood was opened however, fire broke out from the section without warning. The group tried to put out the fire by dousing it with water but this only aggravated the situation. They sought the assistance of the town's Bureau of Fire Protection to contain the fire. Unfortunately, the van had sustained sizable damage before the fire was placed under control. Investigators pointed to a grounded wiring system as the cause of the sudden blaze. No one was reported hurt in the incident but the damage to the van was placed at P800,000.

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