Eight workers trapped inside a padlocked room in a Philippines warehouse died early Friday when a fire broke out in the building, officials said. The victims' room on the second floor was locked from the outside, police said, in order to prevent the live-in workers from going out at night, dpa reported. The fire started before dawn in the suburban city of Pasay, in Manila. The building's owner and the victims' employer, Juanito Go, denied that the rooms of the workers were locked, according to police officer Chris Gabutin. "But upon investigation, we found that the room was indeed padlocked," he said. "Firefighters also had to break down the door and found the women huddled near the door." Police filed criminal charges against Go for human trafficking, negligence resulting in homicide and injuries, and violations of city ordinances. Go was taken into custody, Gabutin added. Nine other workers, whose room was not padlocked, were able to jump to the roof of a nearby building, police said. The warehouse, registered as a residence, was being used to store DVDs, DVD players, mobile phones and assorted electronic items sold at a local market, according to Pasay City spokesman Jonathan Malaya. Investigators suspect that a leaking cooking gas tank could have triggered the fire, Malaya said.
