CEBU, Philippines - A wedding reception was cut short because of an afternoon fire in Sitio Renaissance, Barangay Bulacao in Cebu City.
Dionisio Marimon said he and his wife just arrived home after their church wedding.
Their relatives and visitors were starting to eat when the fire broke out. They scampered away while he secured his wife and two children aged five and two.
They were not able to save anything, including the roasted pig that they prepared for the wedding reception, he said.
Close to 20 houses, mostly made of light materials, went up in smoke during the blaze that was put under control after 24 minutes.
The Cebu City Fire Department received the alarm at 3:48 p. m. The alarm was raised to task force alpha sending fire trucks from fire stations in neighboring cities to the area.
Chief Insp. William Tacaldo, Jr., Cebu City Fire Marshall, said the fire started from the house of one Francis Tagalog.
Tacaldo said they are looking for Tagalog so he can shed light on the cause of the fire.
Among the residents whom the fire left homeless was SPO1 Fortunato Manilag, Jr. of the Cebu City Public Safety Company.
He also lost his house M16 rifle and magazine.
Senior Fire Officer 3 Jovito Abelgas said they could have responded to the scene earlier if someone called their office immediately.
“If nitawag pa og lahos ang informant ngadto namo, mas madali hinoon namo pagtubag ang alarma. Unya dugay man sila nakatawag gud, dako na ang kayo pag-abot namo,†said Abelgas.
The fire department has yet to determine the amount of damage that the fire caused. (FREEMAN)