Kasambagan fire damages 3 shops, hurts 2 workers

CEBU, Philippines - Three business establishments were damaged by a blaze which hit Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City early morning yesterday.

Mictest Restobar, a DVD shop and a branch of Alberto’s Pizza was affected by the fire that hit a building located along Panagdait Street, Cebu City.

The Cebu City Fire Department received the alarm at 6:28 a.m. and controlled the blaze within a few minutes.

Electrical misuse was believed to have caused the fire. Damage was pegged at P45,000 worth of properties. Cebu City Fire Martial Aderson Comar said the fire reportedly started from the restobar’s kitchen and quickly spread to the adjacent storage room of the pizzeria.

Employees of the restobar and the pizzeria tried to extinguish the flames but failed to contain it.

A female restobar employee sustained minor burns on her left arm, while a DVD store attendant sustained a cut on his left hand after trying to salvage their belongings.

A few minutes later, around 10 fire trucks from the city’s fire department, the Chinese volunteers and the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation Inc. came to their aid. The fire only reached the first alarm.

Comar reminds establishment owners to always switch off their power supply when closing their stores to avoid fires. He said stores’ storage areas should be kept dry and away from fires as this would be an easy fuel for a blaze.

The fire department also urges business establishments to invest in fire alarms to quickly detect fires, adding that safety and prevention should always be practiced. — (FREEMAN)