Manila  - Fourteen people were killed Monday in a fire that gutted at least 51 houses in a central Philippine city, an official said.

At least one person remained missing in the fire that started before dawn at a boarding house in Bacolod City, Negros Oriental province, 520 kilometres south of Manila, according to city fire chief Pamela Rojane Candido.

Candido said four of the fatalities were children.

Initial investigations indicated that the fire might have been caused by an unattended candle at a boarding house.

The incident occurred as millions trooped to the cemeteries for All Saints Day, when many Filipinos honour their dead. (dpa)