CEBU, Philippines — An evening fire engulfed 22 houses at B. Suico Street, Upper Tingub, Mandaue City at 7:57 p.m. on February 3, 2024.
Of these houses, 18 were totally burned while four were partially damaged before it was declared a fire-out at 8:58 in the evening.
The second alarm fire also left more or less P650,000 worth of estimated damages.
There were also no reports of injuries or fatalities during the incident.
According to the data from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), at least 44 families lost their homes and 134 individuals were affected by the fire.
An initial investigation of the Bureau of Fire Protection Mandaue City (BFP-Mandaue) revealed that the fire started at the first level of the house owned by Sammy Benigay, specifically in one of the rooms occupied by his tenants, before it gutted the nearby houses.
Fire investigator, Senior Fire Officer 2 Leo Andicoy, told The Freeman over a phone interview that they could not yet identify the cause of the fire since they were still conducting the investigation.
He also mentioned that the fire scene was a dead end and that there were only three entry and exit points in the area.
Additionally, the narrow street going to the area made it difficult for them to penetrate the fire scene, which, despite being two-way, was too small to fit larger vehicles like fire trucks.
The fire victims are currently sheltered at Tingub Elementary School.
Meanwhile, the local government unit of Mandaue City, through the City Social Welfare Services (CSWS), has started distributing relief packs for the fire victims. (CEBU NEWS)