409 houses lost in fire

ILOILO CITY, Philippines  — At the height of revelry celebrating the Dinagyang Festival last Sunday, 409 houses in the City Proper district were razed in a fire that caught the residents off-guard as most of them were out on the streets enjoying the splendor of the festival’s grand parade.

Earlier reports stated that 219 houses were burned, but later consolidated reports from authorities said that a total of 409 houses were lost in the villages of Tanza-Esperanza, Tanza-Timawa and Malipayon in the City Proper.

Shortly after the news of the fire broke out at around 5:20 p.m., affected residents hurriedly went home only to witness the fire gobbled up their houses. Some of them fainted while others scrambled to save whatever was left of their belongings.

The city’s Crisis Management Team said there were 514 affected families although the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWD) said there were only 243 families it had validated. There was discrepancy in the number because most of the affected families opted to take refuge at their relatives’ houses instead of going to evacuation areas.

The 243 affected families, as listed by the CSWD, were the ones temporarily taking shelter at the nearby Rizal Elementary School, Mabini Elementary School, and Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School.

Fire Chief Inspector Gerry Berte, city fire marshall, told The FREEMAN that the fire call was recorded at around 5:20 p.m. and was put off by 10:45 p.m.

Firefighters said there were enough fire trucks and water but the narrow alleys made it hard for trucks to penetrate the scene. Some of the residents also helped in extinguishing the blaze.

Besides the fire personnel and trucks from the BFP-Iloilo City and volunteer fire brigades, firefighters from the nearby towns of Iloilo province also responded.

Arson investigators said that an unattended flat iron at the house of a certain Reynaldo Rosales at Zone II, Brgy. Rizal-Timawa was the likely cause of the fire, which quickly spread to neighboring houses, made of light materials. (FREEMAN)