Fire hits South General Hospital

CEBU, Philippines - No one was hurt or killed after a fire hit the South General Hospital in Naga yesterday, reportedly caused by an exploding generator.

FO1 Nelson Daculan of the Naga fire station, said that they received the alarm at 1:30 p.m. after the generator beside the engineering department office in the basement exploded.

 They reported it under control 20 minutes after they arrived at the scene.

He said the explosion reportedly happened during the switch from generator power to normal power after the second brownout to hit the area that day. He, however, added that they will still investigate this.

 As of press time, fire investigators could still not estimate the worth of damage caused.

Mauro Templasa, 73, of barangay Taloot, Sibonga town, who was admitted to the hospital Wednesday night after he had a heart attack, was in critical condition after the fire alarm, said his daughter Marites Nazareno, 45.

Nazareno said that her father became afraid when they heard the fire alarm and saw people hurrying to leave.

Nazareno said that they were staying at a ward in the second floor and were in a hurry to evacuate and left behind two cellular phones worth a total of P8,000 on a table. 

Marites’ son, Leonard, remembered about the phones when they were outside. He tried to go up again when he blocked by the guard who assured him that nothing will be lost inside their rooms.

 The cellular phones were gone when they came back. The hospital will be temporarily closed for two to three days to check and repair the power cables.

Seventy-two patients will be transferred to its sister hospitals, the Cebu Doctors Hospital and the North General Hospital, both in Cebu City, while the rest can choose between Community Hospital and the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, said hospital administrator Oscar Tuazon.

Tuazon said that they came up with the decision so patients can be properly attended to and because the hospital has no power for now.

He said that they also have to check what really started the fire, repair the destroyed wirings and cables to make sure that their employees will be safe. —Gabriel C. Bonjoc/BRP       (FREEMAN NEWS)