CEBU, Philippines - A family living in five different houses within a compound in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City lost their homes to a fire yesterday noon.
Three residential houses inside Singson Compound located at Sitio Upper Pangpang, Barangay Guadalupe were destroyed while two others were damaged.
According to Senior Fire Officer 3 Lowel Opolentisima, fire investigator, they received the fire alarm at 12:08 p.m. yesterday and immediately responded to it.
He said the fire, which was raised at first alarm, was then controlled at 12:20 p.m. and was totally put out 30 minutes after.
Opolentisima said they suspect that the cause of the fire was an electrical short circuit or overloading since the family agreed that the other houses may just tap electricity from the neighboring houses.
Based on the accounts of witnesses, Opolentisima said the fire started at the shelf where the extension wire used to tap electricity was placed.
“Dili man tingali hinuon matawag nga illegal kay nagkasabot man pud sila pero mas maayo man gyud ni gud nga naa gyu’y connection nga gikan gyud sa VECO (Visayan Electric Company),” said Opolentisima.
He said the family members tried to stop the fire but it immediately spread to the other houses, which were made of light materials.
No one was reported injured in the incident.
Opolentisima said they had a hard time going to the fire scene since it was a mountainous area that only small fire-trucks could penetrate.
“Sa ngalan pa lang niya daan, Sitio Pangpang, pangpang gyud tuod among giagian. Nga gamay nga sayop sa amo gisakyan, maligid na mi didto,” said Opolentisima.
He said if it was not for the firewall of the subdivision next to the Singson compound, the fire could have gotten bigger.
The damage of the fire was estimated at P30,000. (FREEMAN)