The fire, the second to hit the city this fire prevention month, started at around 9:30 a.m. from the house of one Zenaida Santos on San Francisco street in Barangay Aldano.
Senior Fire Officer 1 Gerardo Porle said flames quickly spread to neighboring houses. The blaze reached Task Force Alpha in just one hour due to the lack of firewalls.
"Our firetrucks could not immediately penetrate the affected area because of the narrow streets going there," Porle said. More than 20 firetrucks responded to the fire, which was put out at noon.
Probers estimated the cost of damage at P2 million. No one was injured in the incident.
Porle said they are still trying to determine the cause of fire. He said, however, that it was likely caused by faulty wiring.
"This is why we keep reminding the public not to ignore electrical wirings at home. As much as possible have them checked every month," he said.
Last March 1, a fire caused by faulty wiring gutted a house on Gloria Diaz street in Talon II.
Buendilyn Guillermo, social welfare officer, said they are now providing food and medical assistance to more than 1,500 persons.
"The city government is now providing food and medical assistance to the victims," Guillermo said.
Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has created an inter-department crisis response unit that will attend to the needs of victims of calamities in the city.
Guillermo said the city government has shouldered the burial expenses of the lone fatality.
The fatality, identified as Geraldine Lusay, was found at the second floor of their house at Sitio San Roque II, Barangay Pagasa.
The girl’s mother, Evelyn, was seriously wounded in the blaze that spread to adjacent shanties.
The fire started at around 4 p.m. while the victims were asleep. — With Perseus Echeminada