JEDDAH, 13 November 2003 — Four Filipinos, including a two-year-old boy, were killed in a fire that struck their apartment on Baladiyah St. last weekend, Arab News gathered yesterday. Three others remained confined in hospital.

Relatives and friends of the victims identified the fatalities as Marilou G. Arcega and her two-year-old son Reniel (a.k.a. Buknoy), and couple Freddie and Olive de Leon.

Marilou’s eldest son Anthony Luigi, 8 years old and a Grade III pupil of Al-Hekma International School, is still fighting for his life at the Burn Unit of King Fahd General Hospital.

Armando Arcega, Marilou’s 38-year-old husband, survived the blaze, but he is still confined at the Saudi German Hospital. He suffered second-degree burns in the face, neck and arms.

Dimler Arcega, 5 years old, is in the same hospital recuperating from burn in his face. Doctors have declared Armando and Dimler out of danger.

Armando works as a driver for Safari. His wife Marilou was a nurse working in a dental clinic.

The cause of the fire was not immediately available, pending a police report. Witnesses said the sala of the apartment where the family lived was gutted out. The fire was estimated to have started between 2 and 3 a.m. on Saturday when the apartment dwellers were all asleep.

In his hospital bed, Armando narrated to Arab News that his wife woke him up and told him there was fire outside their room. When he opened the door to the sala, fire struck him and before he could move to take his wife and children away, he blacked out.

He recalled having rose up later and ran toward the terrace where he fell and lost consciousness again.

One of those who first came to the aid of the Arcegas was Robert Canlas. He and his family occupy an apartment adjacent to that of the Arcegas.

Canlas recalled that he was still awake at around 1:30 a.m. of Saturday because he and Freddie had just came home from a basketball game.

He recalled hearing some muffled sounds that seemed to be Freddie’s voice calling for him. Then his wife came out of bed and asked if he burned what he was cooking. He went to check the kitchen and found no fire but his curiosity was aroused when he smelled something was burning.

As he peeped out of their apartment, their Indonesian security guard told him there was fire in the Arcega’s unit. Alarmed, he woke everyone in his apartment to get out fast while he and two others tried to douse water on the smoldering door of the Arcegas to prevent the fire from spreading. Five minutes later, firemen and police came, and the fire was put out.

Witnesses said all the victims were rescued alive but four died later in hospital.

Canlas lamented the lack of first aid equipment by the paramedics who responded to the emergency. He said the victims were neither given oxygen nor was there any attempt to resuscitate the unconscious. He said the paramedics just sped away to the nearest hospital or clinic.

Armando is still oblivious of the fate of his wife and two children. Doctors attending to him advised his relatives not to break the news to him yet until he has somewhat recovered.

Jojo Tuazon said the de Leon couple were his friends who were living temporarily with the Arcegas. Olive had just quit her job in Riyadh and preparing to transfer to London.

“It’s a pity that their plan was aborted by fire,” he lamented.

To support the surviving victims, the Al-Hekma Parent-Teachers Council is launching a fund-raising campaign. “Any help would be deeply appreciated. The families of the victims are badly in need of your kind support,” said the council’s public relations officer Charles Tabbu.

He said donors may contact council treasurer Ronald Mangua at 055-595989 or assistant treasurer Carolina Bunsoy at 053-615659.