Fire hits Tinago again

CEBU, Philippines - A day after 55 households were destroyed in barangays Tinago and Tejero, two more houses were destroyed and six others were damaged after a fire broke out in Tinago in almost the same area.

Residents of Sitio Silangan Uno were still in shock when the late afternoon fire hit their recovering community at 4:48 p.m. yesterday.

The fire, which only reached the first alarm, reportedly started in the house of a certain Rowel Ladores and immediately spread to other houses, said fire department investigator SFO2 Rogelio Valencia.

Ladores said he was not inside his house when the fire started and he cannot think of anything that may have caused the blaze. 

All of the houses were made of light materials. Electrical misuse is initially seen as the cause of the fire.

A tent of the Department of Social Welfare and Services which was put up for victim’s who lost their homes in the other day’s fire, was also damaged.  

Those who lost their homes yesterday were Rosemarie Mijorito, Perlita Javier, Vivian Dela Peña, Mario Osabel, Emmanuel Lavanca, Gembel Rodosa, Evangeline Tan, Gemma Yu and Roxane Gollomat.

Last Tuesday dawn’s fire in barangays Tinago and Tejero left 430 individuals, comprising 104 families, homeless. There were also 55 houses destroyed in all.

This is according to the final count and assessment conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Services who assured Mayor Michael Rama yesterday that the needs of the fire victims are being taken care of he inspected the fire site.

Residents temporarily set up their tents at the road while some went back to the lots they were occupying and some temporarily occupied the chapel.

DSWS will provide them packed meals for three days. The victims will then receive supplies such as blankets, mats, mosquito nets and utensils.

Mayor Michael Rama ordered the DSWS and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to hasten the distribution of housing materials so the residents can rebuild their homes soon.

The National Red Cross also distributed bundles of joy which included five kilos of rice and canned goods to each family affected.

But Rama said that before they can rebuild, he will consult first with Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor, Squatters Prevention and Encroachment Elimination Division and the Department of Engineering and Public Works if there is a need to implement re-blocking in the area.

The main road which is along the pier area is wide enough but a portion was already closed because the residents encroached it. The mayor is also concerned about the road network within the residential area. The houses in the area are built close to each other and this contributed to the quick spread of the fire.

A special session to be held by the City Council today will include the approval of the calamity to be used to aid the fire victims.

While firefighters were still in Barangay Tinago, another fire hit a store along F. Llamas St., Barangay Tisa, of the same city.

The fire reportedly started from the store owned by a Teresita Nabua, 70.

Nabua only leases the store space from her friend, Maria Helinda Daclan, 49, who also lived above the burned store. 

Daclan said she was taking a bath when her son, Randy, 32, alerted her to the fire around 5:16 p.m.

She rushed out the bathroom wrapped only in a towel.

“Na, bahala na sir oi, basta midagan nalang gyud ko bisag nag-tapis,” she said.

 Nabua said she only has a television set and a refrigerator inside her store, she cannot think of anything that may have started the blaze.

“Wala gyud ko kabalo kun asa nag sugod ang sunog kay padulong pa baya ko abli sa tindahan,” she said. Investigators also think that electrical misuse could have also caused the fire.

Fire Marshal Aderson Comar commended the Barangay Tisa Fire Brigade for quickly neutralizing the blaze.

“Nagpakita lang ni nga effective ang atong pag-form sa atong mga response team nga mao ra gyud ang mipatay sa sunog,” he said. 

Comar said establishments and house owners should consider checking their electrical connection for any form of damage which can lead to fires.

Aside from old electrical connections, the public should also be extra careful in using pyrotechnics and firecrackers on New Year’s Eve to prevent fires. —/BRP (FREEMAN)