40 houses lost in Mandaue fire

CEBU, Philippines - Forty houses were destroyed while eight others were damaged after a fire hit Sitio Sampaguita, Barangay Banilad, yesterday afternoon.

Damage was set at P1.2 million.

The Mandaue City Fire Department received the fire alarm at 1:25 p.m. and considered it under control at 2:20 p.m. The alarm was raised to Task Force Bravo as the fire was seen to have quickly spread to neighboring houses.

Mandaue City Fire Marshal Rogelio Bongabong yesterday said that although the fire trucks could penetrate the affected area which was located in the interior portion of the barangay, the hot weather and strong winds were among the problems they encountered yesterday.

Bongabong said that based on the accounts of witnesses the fire started in one of the rooms for rent owned by a certain Joseph “Jojo” Ongcoy. Tenants reportedly heard an explosion in one of the rooms.

But Bongabong said that the cause of the fire has yet to be determined because the tenant of the actual room where the fire reportedly started was not around when the fire broke out.

The Bureau of Fire Protection has yet to confirm if a person was brought to the hospital after he was electrocuted while trying to save personal belongings.

Defeated vice gubernatorial bet and businessman Glenn Soco who owns a building for his manpower services near the area, allowed firemen to enter the building so they can train their hoses on affected houses nearby.

The City Social Welfare Service immediately listed the name of the fire victims so they can get quick access to whatever aid that the city government will give them. 

Violeta Cavada of CSWS said that fire victims will receive their packed meals starting yesterday night until Monday. 

Those affected were numbered at 100 families by the Mandaue City government yesterday, most of them just tenants of the destroyed houses. They are now housed at the Banilad Elementary School.

Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede, who is also a resident of the area, said that during their council’s session this Wednesday they will immediately place the area under a state of calamity so that fire victims can receive aid such as construction materials from the city government. — /BRP (FREEMAN)