A German national was discovered dead after a fire broke out at the pension house he was renting in Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City, early Friday morning, May 29, 2026. The incident occurred around 4 a.m. along F. B. Cabahug Street.
Authorities identified the victim as Thomas Hans Schiemmer, a senior citizen. His remains were taken to Rolling Hills Funeral Homes as authorities await contact with possible relatives abroad.
Investigations revealed that Schiemmer had been living alone in the pension house for the past four years. Fire Officer 1 Rolando Ajero, investigator of the Mandaue City fire incident, stated that the victim's room was on the second floor. He was believed to be going downstairs when he likely suffocated from smoke inhalation and fell on the stairs, leading to his immediate death.
“In our initial investigation, it appears he may have suffocated and then fell. His position on the stairs suggests he was coughing. His body was not badly burned, only with minor burns,” Ajero said in Cebuano.
Other tenants managed to escape safely when the fire started. Authorities are still determining the total number of affected individuals as the pension house logbook was also destroyed in the fire.
Investigators said the fire likely originated on the ground floor of the establishment. Because the building was made of light materials, the blaze quickly spread. The Bureau of Fire Protection received the report at 4:01 a.m. and raised it to first alarm at 4:04 a.m. The fire was brought under control at 4:52 a.m. and was fully extinguished by 5:24 a.m.
Estimated damage reached over P8 million, although authorities are still conducting a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire.
