Too hot to handle

Three red roses mean "I love you," but three fires, within minutes of each other, translate to one hot and exhausting Valentine’s Day for Quezon City firefighters.

Three residential districts were struck by fire yesterday in Quezon City, destroying over 60 houses. As of press time, no one was reported hurt in the fires that struck in Project 8, Visayas Avenue and San Bartolome in Novaliches.

Investigators have yet to determine the actual cause of any of the fires, but said the damage to property could amount to millions of pesos.

According to SFO1 Jaime Biscoche, the blazes occurred "one after the other" shortly before noon.

"It was almost like a joke. The fire came only minutes from each other. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but we knew it was going to be a long day," he told The STAR in an interview.

The first to be hit was 14 Visayas Avenue near a squatters’ area at about 11:50 a.m. The blaze, which reached Task Force Alpha, destroyed some 60 shanties. Panic-stricken residents carried what they could of their belongings to a nearby creek.

Firetrucks from Caloocan City were also dispatched to the scene. The fire was declared out at 1:10 p.m. Sources said strong winds spread the flames to other shanties. The blazing high noon heat made it extremely difficult for firefighters to control the spreading flames.

In Doña Faustina, San Bartolome, faulty wiring could have been the reason why a two-story residential building went up in flames at about 12:18 p.m.

The timely arrival of firefighters helped the spreading of flames to other houses. The fire was completely extinguished at 12:39 p.m.

The largest of the three fires struck at around 12:49 p.m. at Soriano Subdivision along General Avenue in Project 8. The blaze reached the third alarm and completely destroyed at least three houses. It was declared out an hour later.

"I don’t know if these fires have any connection to lovers’ heat on Valentine’s Day, but when you get three calls in a span of an hour, you’re ready to believe anything," an exasperated Biscoche said.

Officials from the Bureau of Fire Protection are now conducting follow-up investigations on the incidents to determine if arson was involved.