About 50 houses made of light materials were destroyed in a fire that hit sitio Commonwealth, a community near the shore of barangay Ibo, Lapu-Lapu City, around noon yesterday.
No one was reported injured or killed in the fire that arson investigator SFO1 Adelano Berido said may have started in the house of a certain Elvie Butal, where an unplugged extension wire reportedly overheated to trigger the blaze.
One resident, Elen Al-os, who was renting a house in the area said she was one of those who discovered that a fire started in the house of Butal. The latter however panicked and was unable to put out the small fire, allowing it to spread.
Lapu-Lapu fire investigators were however still investigating the cause of the fire, and had already summoned some residents and witnesses to shed light on the incident that caused damages to property, estimated at P1.2 million.
Ibo barangay captain Ferdinand Cahilog said that between 300 and 400 families were affected, most of whom were employees of different establishments inside the Mactan Export Processing Zone and renting some houses in the barangay. Many of them were at work when the fire broke out.
There were conflicting reports on the duration of the fire after the Lapu-Lapu Fire Department received the alarm at 11:36 a.m. One report said that it lasted for an hour while the other said that firefighters were able to control the blaze in five minutes only.
Firefighters — coming from Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu City, and neighboring towns — and some volunteers from the Filipino-Chinese Brigade and the MEPZ were however one in saying that there was difficulty in controlling the fire because it took place at the interior part of the sitio.
The fire-hit area was a lot that reportedly belongs to MEPZ, and police and fire officials said the fire happened near a depot of a gasoline company that supplies fuel to various aircrafts at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
Fire victims said their main concern now is to find a place to live but Cahilog assured them later yesterday that the local government will provide them assistance. “Mo-support ug muhatag jud mi sa ilang basic needs,” he told The Freeman.
Cahilog added that the victims will be sheltered either in the barangay covered court or in the public school near the fire scene, depending on the victim’s convenience. There were some who were already housed temporarily in the barangay hall and the neighboring barangay sports complex, he said.
There were victims who reported to the police that some thieves took advantage of the incident while the victims were in panic. “Daghan kaayo ang sa among mga silingan ang nawad-an og mga butang nga puyde pa unta nga masalbar,” a victim said. — Jose P. Sollano, and Princess Mondejar and Queenie Chariz Dayanan/RAE