Blaze claims 6 homes, bonus, poodle
Blaze claims 6 homes, bonus, poodle
AN early fire gutted six houses and damaged three others on F. Rallos St., Barangay Suba, Cebu City yesterday morning.
No one died, but at least three persons were slightly injured, including the grandson of Eulogio Borres, the longestserving mayor of Cebu City.
Fanned by the wind, while the firefighters scrambled in narrow roads, the flames lasted long enough to leave several families homeless.
Because most of the houses were made of light materials, the fire ate them up easily. The former mayor’s house, situated a few meters away, was spared by the blaze.
Insp. Jose Laurito, head of Cebu City Fire Department’s Operation Division, said they received the alarm at 7:50 a.m. and raised it to Task Force Alpha.
After 20 minutes, the fire was declared under control.
By then, however, an estimated P700,000 worth of properties were already destroyed.
Fire investigators still have to identify what caused the blaze, but they are not discounting the possibility of electrical misuse.
An initial investigation showed that the fire possibly started on the third floor of the house of Danilo Borres, 55, an engineer of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District ( MCWD) and grandson of the former mayor.
His daughter Dayna told reporters they smelled something burning last Friday night. “Nakabantay mi nga naa’y bahong sunog pero nawa raman (We noticed it, but the smell faded),” she said.
Later, Danilo’s children were awakened by the heat of the flames. They grabbed buckets of water to douse the fire, but could not keep it from spreading.
Dayna suspected that the flames started at their altar, where electrical wires had been installed.
Danilo, who had gone outside for a little exercise, came home quickly after noticing black, thick smoke from the area. He did not know that his newly-painted house was already on fire. It was insured for P1 million.
Danilo, his daughter Dayna and grandchild David Christian sustained burns in their arms and faces. His son Dandie tried to revive their poodle named “Totol” but failed. The canine died from suffocation and burns.
Meanwhile, 52-yearold Rosario Daymeil was hysterical after her husband’s P10,000 bonus turned into ashes.
“Nisiyagit dayon ko mao nakamata ang ubang silingan (I shouted, that’s why our neighbors woke up),” she told Sun.Star Cebu.
Most of the fire victims were left emptyhanded after the flames spread to their houses. Some residents ran for safety, while others took a last attempt at saving their belongings.
Because of the fire, fire and barangay officials are calling for the safe use of electricity, for those who don’t want to spend their Christmas homeless.
Suba Barangay Captain Rogelio Resurrecion, in an interview, said the victims will be temporarily sheltered at the sports complex.
The City Government’s Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) will distribute packed meals to the victims. DSWS will also give away mats, mosquito nets, blankets, canned goods and rice good for three days.