‘Kwitis’ triggers fire in Koronadal

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines - Reckless use by revelers of pyrotechnics to welcome the New Year led to a conflagration that razed seven houses in a peasant enclave here just after midnight Thursday.

Officials of the local fire bureau said a wayward “kwitis” landed on the roof of one of the seven houses, all made of indigenous materials with woven, dried river palm roofing, causing an instant fire.

A traditional kwitis is a rocket-style pyrotechnic, propelled by incendiary black powder, which revelers set off from the ground through an ignited priming wick and explodes midair, setting an orange fireball and sparks that fade away as they spread in the air.

The owner of the house where the fire started, Boy Zabala, and members of his family escaped from the fire without saving any belonging at all.

Arson probers placed at P500,000 their rough estimate of the total value of the seven houses the fire destroyed.