First Cebu City fire in 2012: Teenager burns room, fights off rescuers with a knife

CEBU, Philippines - Two separate fires occurred minutes of each other in Cebu City yesterday afternoon, the first recorded fires in the city in 2012.

The first was in Osmeña Drive, Barangay Labangon, Cebu City where a 17-year-old boy allegedly tried to commit suicide by intentionally burning his room at about 3:11p.m.

Aderson Comar, Cebu City Fire Marshall, said the family had difficulty in rescuing the minor because he was armed with a knife.

“Every time naay moduol niya hanaan man niya maong nangayo sila og tabang kay gaaso na man ang kwarto,” Comar said. (He attempts to stab those who would try to go near him so they called for help.)

Comar said they were left with no other choice but to aim the fire extinguisher at the minor to make him unconscious.

“Iyang sunog panghadlok lang to niya mura’g nagrebelde sa ilaha,” Comar said. (It was apparently his way of showing defiance at his family.) He added that even the teenager’s mother did not know what prompted her son to do it.

The victim was then taken by the Emergency Rescue Unit to a hospital in Cebu City while the fire was immediately controlled.

A few minutes later, another fire broke out along Manalili St., Barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

The fire destroyed the New York Handbag Factory, a retail store of bags and umbrellas, among others.

The fire reportedly started at the back portion of the second floor of the establishment. The damage was pegged at P175,000.

Comar said the fire could not easily spread to the other establishments - Lam Hong Paper Products Co. Inc. and HK Enterprises – because of the firewalls.

The back portion, however, did not have a firewall so it was where the firefighters trained their hoses at.

Owners of the nearby establishments also helped the firemen by opening all their windows.

Authorities declared the fire was out at 4:00 p.m. So far, investigators have yet to determine the cause of fire.

In an interview, one of the stay-in workers of the store, 43-year-old Pili Avila said she was resting at the second floor when she heard the commotion.

She said they failed to notice the fire until people shouted at them, “Sunog sa inyo o!” (There’s a fire in your building!) This made them panic. — /JPM (FREEMAN)