Woman hurt in Pit-os fire

CEBU, Philippines - A woman was hurt while P80,000 worth of properties was damaged during a fire at a commercial building owned by a councilman in Barangay Pit-os, Cebu City yesterday morning.

Fire investigators said electrical misuse caused the fire at the Mico Romj's Superstore at 10:30 a.m. causing structural damage. One of the store employees, a certain Helen Villahermosa, was injured in her left foot. No other buildings were damaged in the fire.

It was the storeowner, Raquel Herrera, who first noticed the smell from the ceiling which also served as an improvised stockroom, says FO3 Lowell Opolentisima. He added that Herrera, together with a helper, was apparently going up to retrieve some stocks when she notice the smell of smoke. 

When she ordered the helper to check it out, they found out that the fire was already spreading.  

They then reported the alarm to the nearest fire station which was in Talamban. The substation first responded to the fire at around 11 a.m. By 11:25, the firemen had the situation under control and declared the fire out by 1:05 p.m.

A total of nine firetrucks from Cebu City Fire Station responded to the alarm plus two firetrucks from the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) and one from the fire volunteers in Barangay Sambag 2. – (FREEMAN)