Cavite fire leaves 1,000 families homeless

MANILA, Philippines — Up to 1,000 families were left homeless in a fire that struck a heavily populated community in Bacoor, Cavite yesterday morning.

Authorities said eight people were rushed to a hospital for treatment of burns and other injuries.

The fire, which broke out at around 11:47 a.m. in Barangay Zapote III, was reportedly started by a couple who were quarreling.

Barangay Zapote III chairman Ernesto de Rosas said he received reports that the couple had been quarelling since the night before.

De Rosas said neighbors heard one of the partners saying “we will all die” before the fire broke out.

Up to 800 houses made of light materials were destroyed in the blaze.

The fire reached second alarm before firefighters declared the fire out at around 2:13 p.m.

Senior Fire Officer 3 Lexter Encarnacion, operations officer of the Bacoor fire station, said narrow streets and fleeing residents hampered the firefighters’ operations.

“As firefighters entered the narrow streets, they were met by people fleeing from the fire. Some were carrying large belongings, blocking the firemen and delaying response efforts,” Encarnacion told journalists.

Affected residents sought shelter in different evacuation centers in Bacoor. Authorities have yet to estimate the amount of damage caused by the fire.

Journalist dies in Zamboanga fire

Meanwhile, in Zamboanga City, two people, including a journalist, died while eight others were injured in a fire that destroyed nine houses on Friday.

Allen Abastillas and his brother-in-law Adolfo Vicente Jr. were trapped in their boarding house in Barangay Tetuan when the fire broke out at around 2 a.m.

Abastillas was a journalist based in this city.

Another journalist, Emil Tuban, lost all his property in the fire. He was not around when the blaze started.

The injured victims were taken to a hospital for treatment of burns.

Fire marshall Supt. Christopher Morales said the fire reportedly started in a house owned by a certain Rohana Indang.

Morales confirmed that two bodies were retrieved from the debris.

Boarding house owner Salvador Emerson Santiago said Abastillas and Vicente had rushed out of the house, but returned to retrieve some personal belongings.

Santiago said Abastillas tried to escape through a window on the second floor, but the floor collapsed.

The fire reached third alarm before it was declared under control by responding firefighters.

Authorities placed the damage at P9.6 million.