AN ABS-CBN fire rescue volunteer and an eight-year-old boy perished in a two-hour blaze that burned down 18 houses in Quezon City on Monday morning.

Mariano Taguba, a Grade 2 student, was sleeping inside their house at 42 Eagle Alley near Presidential Road, Batasan Hills, when fire of unknown origin started at 5:50 a.m.

Taguba was trapped inside the house and died from suffocation, police investigators said.

Justo Peregrino, a volunteer of ABS-CBN’s fire-fighting squad, was trying to put out the fire when a live wire fell on him, police said.

He was electrocuted and died before reaching Malvar General Hospital.