Fire damage pegged at P2.5M

CEBU, Philippines - A total of P2.5 million worth of properties was gutted in the fire that destroyed over 80 houses in sitio Magtinabangay, Barangay Tisa, last Saturday, a fire official said.

Fire Officer 2 Rey Gonzaga of the Cebu City Fire Department disclosed that the number of houses destroyed by fire reached 86 from the initial 50 houses. Out of the 86 houses, 81 were gutted down, he said.

Gonzaga further informed that they controlled the fire three hours after it was reported at past 1 p.m. last Saturday.

Firemen and fire trucks from the fire stations in Mandaue City and Talisay City assisted, prompting Cebu City Fire Marshall William Tacaldo, Jr. to raise the alarm to Task Force Alpha.

Gonzaga said they are still inviting witnesses that could help shed light on what really caused the fire, although allegations from the affected residents revealed that the fire started with a loud explosion reportedly from the house of one Oscar Alingasa.

Alingasa, who also lost his house to the fire, didn’t deny this and even confessed that he had witnessed a spark of fire from their ceiling early that day. He checked and learned that the spark came from the electrical wire gnawed by rats which he then covered with an electrical tape.

Apart from being situated in the interior and uphill portion of the area, the houses were near each other and were mostly made of light materials so the fire spread quickly.

Firemen had to clear out the road from low-hanging electrical wires for the fire trucks to get through. They also connected hoses to be able to  spray water on the blaze.

The affected families, including students and apartment renters, are temporarily sheltered at a nearby basketball court while waiting for more donations and assistance as most of them survived the fire without being able to save anything.

The barangay will also be declaring sitio Magtinabangay under state of calamity to access the calamity funds to help the fire victims. —/JPM (FREEMAN)