Five persons, including four minors, died in a fire in Navotas City on Saturday morning.

In a phone interview with the Daily Manila Shimbun, Supt. Ronaldo Sanchez, chief of the Navotas Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), said the fatalities aged 12 to 41 died due by smoke inhalation.

"At 8:07 am they were declared dead on arrival due to asphyxia by smoke inhalation," he said.

The fire, which started at the second floor of a single dwelling home located at Gov. Pascual St. in Barangay San Roque. reached the first alarm at 7:14 am before it was extinguished around 7:53 am.

Sanchez explained that based on the statement of a survivor the fire might have started because an electric fan that was left open on the second floor

"The house doesn't have a secondary exit because the windows do not have openable grills," he said.

He added that the estimated damage to properties cost around P80,000. Robina Asido/DMS