GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- A single firecracker set off a deadly blaze in a row of fireworks stores in General Santos City in the Philippines early Christmas Day, authorities said.
Three women were killed, GMA News tv reported. An 8-year-old boy suffered serious burns.
The blaze began just after midnight, Marcelo Pintac, the municipal police director, said. He said one firecracker fell to the ground, hitting one of the stores and setting off its contents.
A few hours earlier, a similar fire in Cebu killed three people. Authorities said it was also caused by someone setting off a firecracker near a row of stalls to test it.
Two of the victims of the General Santos City blaze died at the scene and the third died in a hospital.
Smoking and setting off fireworks near fireworks stalls are banned.
