CEBU, Philippines - An estimated P250,000 was lost after a fire gutted a house past noon yesterday in Mountain View Village, barangay Quiot, Cebu City.
The one-story house, made of both concrete and light materials, was owned by couple Emmanuel and Antonita Nacorda. Nobody was reported hurt or killed during the incident.
FO3 Antonio Gonzales, investigating officer from Cebu City Fire Department, said they are looking at two possible causes of the fire.
The first is a substandard ceiling fan inside the room of the couple where the fire reportedly originated; the second possible cause are the nephews and nieces of the couple, aged two, five and six, who may have played with matches inside the house, he said.
Benedict Nacorda, 22, the son of the couple, told the fire investigator that his parents were not around when the fire started. His father was paying their electric bill while his mother also left the house.
The younger Nacorda said he smelled burning leatherette and later saw smoke and fire.
His neighbors were not able to immediately come to the rescue as they were some distance away, Gonzales said.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control three minutes after they arrived at the scene and extinguished it an hour later. It was only raised to the first alarm.
The fire investigator said they dispatched three fire trucks from the Cebu City Fire Station and did not encounter any problems like rowdy crowds and narrow pathways in responding to the fire scene.
Gonzales said they are still investigating what could have really caused the fire. — Niña G. Sumacot/BRP