On Thursday last week, Police responded to the fire in Meyuns, it reported however that there were no fatalities as a result of the blaze nor it appeared that they thoroughly checked the premises.
The fire fatality was identified as Vanderche “Spis” Edboi’s body. Edboi’s body was identified by his mother through his necklace
The day after the fire, people in Ngerkebesang called the police to report an unusual smell emanating from the area.
Police officers immediately responded and discovered the remains of Edboi beneath the rubble. .
Timothy Singeru, stepfather of the victim, in an interview said that they were unaware that Edboi was inside the house when the fire occurred.
Edboi is working in Koror and usually visits the owner of the house Abigail Esebei. However at the time of the fire, Esebei was in Babeldaob.
Singeru accused the police of negligence because of the failure of police officers in combing through the area properly.
“They are just relying on the statement of the people when they said nobody was inside the house.” Singeru added.
Singeru said that the Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) will conduct an autopsy.
Justice Minister Johnny Gibbons said the cause of fire is yet to be determined.
Gibbons in an interview said that an investigation is still being conducted on the matter.
The ministry and the BPS was unable to give a full briefing to the media about the incident.
According to the police investigation, around 3:34 am, Patrol Division office received a call that there was a fire in Ngerkebesang near the Esebei’s residence.
Police officers boarded the two fire trucks and responded to the fire scene immediately. Upon the arrival the house was totally burned. Fire officers, however, took more than one hour before they extinguished the fire at around 4:45 am.
