Another fire hits Mandaue

CEBU, Philippines – After the noontime fire Thursday, another fire struck in barangay Labogon, Mandaue City 12 hours later, leaving 30 families homeless.

The fire razed 20 residential houses made of semi-concrete materials and eight small business establishments made of light materials.

Fire investigators have placed the damage to property at P800,000.

It took firemen an hour to put the fire under control.

Mandaue City Fire Investigator FO3 Cepriano Codilla Jr. told The FREEMAN that fire stations and fire brigades from neighboring cities of Lapu-Lapu and Cebu City, Barangay Sto. Nino in Cebu City,Tipolo Barangay Fire Station, Philippine Air Force, Filipino Chinese Volunteers Brigade, Accert personnel and the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation took part in extinguishing the fire.

Witness Venancio Villarosa said the fire started from an establishment selling bamboo.

Villarosa claimed he saw sparks from a wiring in the ceiling of the establishment.

Codilla said an electrical short circuit triggered the fire.

No casualties were reported.

Codilla said firemen had penetrated the fire scene but the fire spread quickly.

Fire victims are now housed in a chapel at sitio Centro and in the barangay hall while some are staying with relatives.

The barangay will give 10 sacks of rice on top of the assistance from the city.

The city has assured of giving P10,000 worth of housing materials for totally burned houses and P5,000 worth building materials for partially burned houses.

The incident was the second fire that hit Mandaue Thursday.

The first fire hit the Perez Compound in barangay Alang-alang, which left 52 families homeless with 29 houses totally burned and three others partially damaged.

Damage to property was put at P480,000.

The fire started at the house of Merlyn Quiño, thought to have been started by three children who were playing near her house or it could have caught fire from the dirty kitchen of the residence of a certain Toto Apanan.

No one was injured. - Ria Mae Y. Booc and Jose P. Sollano (FREEMAN)