CEBU, Philippines - A fire which residents claim was started deliberately by a “drug addict” razed six structures, including two commercial establishments in M. Velez St., Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City yesterday afternoon.
Also yesterday afternoon, two houses, including the house of a retired Air Force personnel, were eaten by fire in Sitio Lower Matumbo, Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City.
Chief Insp. William Tacaldo, Jr., the newly appointed fire marshall of the Cebu City Fire Department, pegged the damage at P800,000. He said they received the report at 5:20 pm and managed to control the fire in 25 minutes.
Tacaldo said the fire started at the back of Arbee’s Bakeshop, one of the commercial establishments razed. The other establishment razed was the two-storey Josephine All Dental Services owned by one Jospehine Yu.
Golden Banawa Hardware and an abandoned apartment were among the establishments damaged by the fire. The rest were all residential houses, Tacaldo said.
Charito Alegre, 48, said she was working several houses away when her niece came to her crying and said that their house caught fire.
“Tiya, nasunog atong balay kay gisunog na sad sa praning,” Alegre said.
She rushed home but it was too late as the fire was starting to eat up her house. Her 15-year-old niece allegedly saw the drug user aiming a lighter at the airconditioner of his room. His room is located at the back of the dental clinic.
The suspect allegedly lighted a curtain. The airconditioner then exploded, thus creating the blaze, Alegre further narrated.
“Ningkatawa pa daw siya sa mga bata pag-try sa mga bata ug sablig ug tubig,” Alegre said. (He laughed at the children who tried to stop the fire.)
Alegre said this is not the drug user’s first attempt in starting a fire.
“Kapila na gyud ‘na siya mag-sunog-sunog og kurtina. Problema gyud namo na siya diri kay magsige ug singgit-singgit, sige ug pamugbog sa iyang balay, unya magsige ug dagkot-dagkot ug lighter,” she said. (He has been a nuisance to our community. He burns his curtains, keep shouting and often plays with a lighter.)
Josephine Abao and her three children were almost trapped, but they managed to get out of their house before the fire blocked their way.
PO2 Carlo Balasoto of Fuente Police Station responded and eventually arrested the suspect, who allegedly tried to flee.
The suspect denied the accusation, saying he just got out of the comfort room when he noticed the first floor of clinic was on fire. He is now detained at the Fuente Police Station.
Meanwhile, the fire in Lapu-Lapu burned the house of Ruperto Cadampog as it was made of light materials. The semi-concrete house of Ret. PAF Fernando Almeñana was damaged.
FO2 Climaco Salisid of the Lapu-Lapu City Fire Station said the fire started at the ceiling of the second floor of the house of Almeñana.
The firemen received the alarm around 2:45 in the afternoon.
Damage was pegged at P110,000. No one was injured during the incident.
Salisid said neighbors of Almeñana who live at the three-storey apartment adjacent to his house noticed thick smoke coming out of one of the rooms upstairs.
His neighbors tried to put out the fire by bringing pails of water.
The commotion alerted Almeñana and his family who called the fire station.
The fire also razed two motorcycles owned by the victims. — (FREEMAN)