CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama ordered the Bureau of Fire Protection in Cebu City to immediately inspect and make an inventory of all fire hydrants in the city.
The mayor gave this order yesterday after learning that there was a fire hydrant only 50 meters from the area that was razed last Saturday, but firemen could not use it as it is already inside a house.
Rama said he wants to know how a fire hydrant ended up hidden in a house.
“It is their (BFP) job to inspect (the hydrants) if all are working. They must re-inspect them very soon, that is an order,” Rama said.
The Metropolitan Cebu Water District installed over 600 fire hydrants in strategic places within its franchise area.
Fire hydrants are mostly located in crowded sitios of barangays which fire trucks could not penetrate in case of emergencies.
The city also spent millions for the installation of dry fire hydrants, which the BFP reported as stolen and vandalized sometime in 2009.
Cebu City Fire Marshal Aderson Comar said that MCWD has been complaining over stolen nozzles of fire hydrants and illegal extraction of water by residents for personal use.
The illegal extraction reportedly results to and estimated P39 million systems loss every month for the water firm.
MCWD gave the fire hydrants to Local Government Units for free so there will be a source of water during emergencies.
The utility company has been appealing to barangays and LGUs to assist in securing the hydrants to make sure that these are available during emergencies.
In November last year, BFP conducted an inspection of all hydrants as per request by MCWD but Comar said they will do it again with proper documentation this time because of the order of the mayor.
The fire hydrant that is reportedly inside a house is located in corner Alviola and T. Padilla Streets. Comar said that they could have used it during the fire last Saturday.
Re-Blocking
BFP admitted having a hard time getting their fire trucks to the fire scene, because of narrow passage which prompted Rama to order for the road restoration and re-blocking of the area.
Victims will not be allowed to re-build their houses until the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor and the Department of Engineering and Public Works would survey the area for the re-blocking and restoration of roads.
Rama also ordered for the clearing of the three-meter zone.
Residents who will be affected by the re-blocking and road restoration will get financial assistance from the city government just like what was done in F. Villa in barangay T. Padilla when it was hit by fire last year.
Fire In Mambaling
Seven houses were destroyed in a blaze in Sitio Ramas, Barangay Mambaling yesterday.
Rowena Velos narrated that she noticed that the room temperature seemed to have gone up while she was sleeping and the next thing she saw was that their house was already burning.
Four of the seven houses were totally burned while the three others sutained partial damage in the five-minute blaze.
According to residents, they heard a loud bang from the Velos’ residence, but Rolando, husband of Rowena, said that they don’t have LPG tanks that could have caused the blaze.
He even said they don’t have electricity in their house during daytime and have only arranged to tap the connection of a neighbor during nighttime.
The fire spread fast to neighboring houses which were made mostly of light materials.
A firewall protected a line of apartments from the fire.
Comar said they received the alarm at 9:16 a.m.
The Cebu City Fire Department estimated the damage at P270, 000.
Comar said they controlled the fire faster compared to what happened last Saturaday at Barangay Tejero because the fire scene was very accessible.
Mandaue Fire
Four families lost their dwelling when a bunkhouse and a machine shop went up in flames yesterday along R.T. Colina Street in Barangay Ibabao, Mandaue City.
The fire was tapped at 10:30 a.m. and was put off in just five minutes.
Assistance
Cebu City Congressmen Tomas Osmeña and Cutie del Mar promised assistance to the fire victims of Barangay Tejero.
They are just waiting for the city’s Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) to finalize the list of affected families.
Barangay Tejero has already passed a resolution declaring Sitios Looban, Inahan Sa Kanunayng Panabang and Back Blessed under the state of calamity.
Once the city has finalized its list of victims, the barangy will start purchasing building materials for their residents who will not be affected by the re-blocking the city has planned for the area. — /NLQ - (THE FREEMAN)