SAN ANTONIO, Nueva Ecija — The chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection in this town said on Tuesday that they found no basis to conclude arson in the fire that gutted the ancestral house of former vice mayor and film director Jose “Kaka” Balagtas in Bgy. Buliran here last month.
Municipal fire marshal Fire Inspector Ronald R. Fiesta said that according to the results of the examination done on the ashes and debris samples collected from the fire and brought to the crime lab of the BFP national headquarters, there were “negative traces of flammable substances such as gasoline, diesel, thinner or kerosene.”
“Walang chemical residues nakuha sa mga samples, negative din sa flammable substances,” Fiesta told People’s Tonight in an interview at his office on Tuesday.
Based on these findings, the arson angle is already ruled out, said Fiesta, adding that the cause of fire could be a “possible short-circuit” because the house was already old and its electrical wiring and circuitry outdated.
This investigation report by the BFP-San Antonio contradicted allegations that earlier circulated on social media that the fire that razed the Balagtas abode was “intentionally-perpetrated by unidentified motorcycle-riding men.”
The one-story 1999-built ancestral house was registered under the name of municipal councilor Adonis L. Balagtas, the movie director’s son, and its damage cost was placed at P150,000, according to Fiesta.
“May sinasabi din sa social media na may mga di-kilalang tao diumano ang sumunog pero nag-imbestiga kami humanap ng mga witnesses, negative naman. Wala naman witnesses na lumalabas upang magsabi na may nakita na kakaiba nang mangyari ang sunog,” said Fiesta.
