Mabolo blaze razes apartment, 2 homes

CEBU, Philippines - One was injured in a fire incident that hit Sitio Lahing-Lahing, Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City around 5:20 yesterday afternoon which totally burned three houses and damaged five others.

Ricardo Sequiña, 46, sustained a laceration on his right foreleg after being hit by a sharp object as he was trying to save some of their belongings. He was given first aid treatment.

Two of the three totally burned houses were identified to be owned by brothers Rommel Tanggol and Melvin Tanggol. The fire also gobbled up the boarding house of Eduard Dampor, where the fire reportedly originated.

The fire also damaged five other houses made of mixed materials.

FO3 Lowel Opolentisima, fire investigator, told The FREEMAN that cause of fire is yet under investigation, although unattended charged phone or unplugged appliances could have been the cause of the fire.

Opolentisima said that fire started at one of the rooms on the third floor of the boarding house owned by Dampor and immediately scattered to nearby houses.

Nixon Cosep in the neighborhood said that they destroyed the perimeter fence at the back portion of a nearby condominium just to let the fire truck in.

"Giguba na namo ang mga kural sa luyo kay dili man maagian," he said.

Narrow roads prevented the firemen from not immediately entering the area. Responding officers had to connect their hoses together.

Opolentisima said they were able to control the fire at 5:45p.m. and declared it fire out at 6:53 p.m. He pegged the damage at P70,000.

A few minutes after, a condenser of an air conditioner owned by the Sterling Bank located in corner Gen. Maxilom Avenue and F. Ramos Street in Cebu City was also set on fire.

The air conditioner on fire outside the establishment was noticed by a Cebu City Traffic Operations Management personnel, Edilberto Ludovica. It was Ludovica who called the attention of the employees of the bank.

"Nakapanimaho pa man mi ug bahong sunog," said Connie Diaz, branch head.

Ludovica got a fire extinguisher from inside the bank and was able to put out the fire.  (FREEMAN)