Twin fires hit Caloocan City

Two fires hit separate areas in Caloocan City yesterday, razing at least 19 houses.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Arvin David, arson investigator of the Caloocan City Bureau of Fire Protection, said the first incident occurred at around 1:20 a.m. in Bagong Silang.

David said the blaze started at the house of one Arnel Vergara, whose 11-year-old son, identified only as Botsoy, sustained second-degree burns in the back.

The fire was contained in less than an hour but four houses were completely destroyed.

At about 7:45 a.m., another fire occurred in a residential area along M. Hizon st., between 8th and 9th avenues in Barangay 59.

David said the fire started at house number 164, which was reportedly owned by one Rosita Matildo, 59.

The blaze quickly spread to the crowded neighborhood but the immediate arrival of firemen prevented the fire from spreading to the adjacent street.

Caloocan City fire marshal Chief Inspector Juan Reyes said the fire reached the fifth alarm and gutted around 15 houses before firefighters put it under control at around 8:40 a.m.

Reyes said nobody was reported hurt in the incident but an estimated P1.5 million worth of property was destroyed.

As of press time yesterday, arson investigators have yet to ascertain the cause of the fire incidents.

Meanwhile, in Pasig City a three-year-old boy playing with a match triggered a fire that partially destroyed their house.

The boy was reportedly left alone in the second floor bedroom of their two-story house. — With Non Alquitran