Alleged arson suspect in Guadalupe fire falls

Authorities have arrested a man who was accused of starting the fire that razed seven houses and destroying another in barangay Guadalupe Thursday morning.

The suspect, Rudy Lariosa, was allegedly seen by his neighbor, Allan Nacion, running away from his house and mumbling something bad about his house.

SFO2 Allen Arciaga, chief investigator of Cebu City Bureau of Fire Protection, said that Nacion had submitted an affidavit about Lariosa’s involvement in the fire.

Nacion had stated, in his affidavit, that he then heard shouts in the neighborhood about fire warning, prompting him to go out to check. He bumped into Lariosa instead, while the latter was running away from the place fast but overheard him say something.

“Nabanggaan kuno ni siya (Nacion) ni Lariosa unya nadunggan niyang nayawyaw og ‘siyaro og dili mo maugdaw diha’ unya nidagan na ug wala na mopakita anha nalang dihang nangaugdaw na,” Arciaga said quoting Nacion’s statement. After about 30 minutes later, Lariosa returned to his burning house.

When asked about this by investigators, Lariosa denied knowing about the fire and claimed he was out in the neighborhood the whole evening and just waited until morning at the house of their neighbor.

Investigators first suspected that the fire may have something to do with kerosene lamp that was left unattended because the house had no electric connection.

After Lariosa’s arrest, Arciaga said the investigation would focus on the suspect and set aside the angle of the kerosene lamp. He said that Nacion was the one who filed the complaint along with Hazel Lariosa, the suspect’s sister, who also lived in the house but was in Naga City at the time of the fire.

The suspect was also responsible for a near fire incident in the same house few months ago, Arciaga added but admitted that it was not recorded in their office because the family managed to contain it on their own.

Based on the statements of witness, he believed that it would be unusual for a normal person to run away from his own house that is in danger of fire.

 “Abnormal gyud sa usa ka tawo ang modagan palayo sa sunog ilabi na iyang balay ang gikaon sa kalayo ug dili na mobalik kay kasagaran ang mga tawong masunugan maninguha gyud ng mapawong ang kalayo,” Arciaga said.

At least 13 families or 68 individuals were left homeless in the 32-minute fire that was raised to third alarm. Damage to property was pegged at P700,000. — Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE