3 hurt as fire hits 5 houses

CEBU, Philippines - Three persons were injured, including a fireman, when a fire gutted two houses and destroyed three others in Barangay Cawayan, Dalaguete last Wednesday night.

Those injured were identified as Rosseny Delgado, 50, a certain Junjun Isidro Cuya and a fireman. The three suffered slight wounds in the feet and were taken to the municipal health center for first aid treatment.

Delgado and Cuya were injured while keeping their belongings safe.

SFO3 Julde Deposa, Dalaguete fire marshal, failed to identify the fireman who is reportedly connected with the fire station from the neighboring town.

Deposa said the fire may have started from embers at a dirty kitchen in the house owned by one Rebecca Beldad, 50.

The two houses that were burned down were owned by Eko Caraan and Arlington Beldad while the two other houses damaged are owned by Cristino Carsano and Federico Hagupit.

All five houses were made of light materials. Deposa pegged the damaged at P160,000.

The owners of the houses were reportedly watching a variety show at a basketball court several meters away when the fire broke.

The Dalaguete Fire Station received the alarm at around 10:33 p.m.

“Nagsugod gyud kuno ang kayo mga hapit na alas 10:00p.m. kay nagtuo ang nakakita nga dunay nagluto sa unya mao na diay to,” Deposa said in a phone interview.

Deposa surmised they received the alarm quite late because of lack of communication equipment on the part of the residents. Also, owners of the nearby houses reportedly panicked when the fire broke.

A second alarm was raised, which was why firemen from Argao and Boljoon helped in the response.

The fire in Dalaguete was the third that occurred in less than a week in the province. Last Tuesday, a 59-year-old woman died of suffocation when a fire hit a village in Minglanilla town. A fire also hit a commercial establishment in Liloan town. —/JMO (FREEMAN)