A German national died in a fire that razed a pension house in Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City, in the early hours of Friday, May 29, 2026. The victim was identified as Thomas Hans Schiemmer, a senior citizen who had been renting a room at the establishment for four years.
According to Fire Officer 1 Rolando Ajero, the fire investigator, Schiemmer was on the second floor of the building and was trying to go down when he apparently suffocated from the smoke and fell down the stairs, leading to his death. "In our initial investigation, it seems he suffocated and then fell because his body was found on the stairs, which are narrow. His body was not badly burned, only minor burns," Ajero said.
The fire started on the ground floor of the building, which was made of light materials, causing it to spread quickly. The fire department received the report at 4:01 a.m. and raised the first alarm at 4:04 a.m. The fire was controlled by 4:52 a.m. and completely extinguished by 5:24 a.m.
Damage and Response
Initial estimates place the damage at over P8 million. The victim's body was brought to Rolling Hills Funeral Homes while authorities await the arrival of his relatives from another country.
Schiemmer had been living alone in the pension house for four years. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the cause of the fire.
