Fire razes 15 houses in Consolacion town

CEBU, Philippines - At least 15 houses were destroyed including that of a barangay councilman when a 15-minute fire broke out yesterday afternoon in Purok I, Barangay Nangka, Consolacion.

Councilman Doyle Sugarol suffered minor burns in his face and shoulder while trying to save his properties. His house was among those razed by fire which allegedly started in the house of a certain Rodulfo Rios at 1:48 p.m.

Senior Fire Investigator Renato Lacang of the Consolacion Fire Station said they were able to control the fire 15 minutes later after receiving the alarm.

Lacang said the fire started in the house of Rios which was made of bamboo weave (amakan). The fire investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire. Among the information that are being verified by the fire department is the report that the young children of Rios were playing matchsticks before the fire broke out.

The fire trucks from the nearby Liloan Fire Station and from Mandaue City were able to respond and help put out the fire in 15 minutes. According to the firemen, they encountered the usual problem in responding to fire alarms, which is the narrow access roads and the crowd.

“Piot jud kaayo ang dalan kay sigkit-sigkit ang mga balay. Nag-liputlipot pa mi kung asa mi pwede makasud. Congested ang area. Naguba gud ang side mirror sa usa namo ka fire truck kay tungod sa ka-piot sa dan,” Lacang said.

Lacang said a few of his colleagues also suffered minor scratches while responding to the fire. Abegail Angtud, a barangay employee, said they prepared tents at the vicinity of the barangay hall as temporary shelter for the fire victims. Angtud said there were 10 to 11 families affected by the fire.

As of 6 p.m. yesterday, the affected residents were still at the vicinity of their houses, guarding the properties that they were able to save from the fire.

Eight sacks of clothes and two sacks of rice were immediately donated by Sixth District Rep. Luigi Quisumbing.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development also proceeded to the area to assess the basic necessities of the victims. (FREEMAN)