Another fire strikes sitio Freedom

CEBU, Philippines - Another fire struck a crowded sitio Freedom in Barangay T. Padilla yesterday, the same place where the biggest fire in the city occurred last year.

This time around, only three structures were affected –two houses and a four-door apartment. No one was hurt in the incident.

It took responding firemen 30 minutes to control the fire that started around 3pm. The fire was raised to second alarm as fire stations across the city came to help put out the blaze.

SFO1 Nilo Daculan of the City Fire Department said the fire originated from the boarding house owned by one Celso Sansub. Witnesses said it reportedly started at the second floor from the room occupied by a certain Gingging.

Some of the boarders told Daculan that a mobile phone kept on ringing from inside Gingging’s room prior to the incident. Daculan said it is possible that the phone was being charged and overheated, which triggered the fire. 

The fire was quick to spread to the entire boarding house, as the structure was only made of light materials.

A residential house beside the boarding house also burned down and a four-door apartment owned by one Francisco Alonzo on the other side was partially damaged.

Fire investigator pegged the damage at P350,000.

This fire was the third to happen in Metro Cebu since the start of the month-long observance of Fire Prevention Month.

Last year, close to 2,000 families lost their homes as a massive blaze razed an estimated 220 to 250 houses in sitio Freedom. (FREEMAN)