2 injured in Hipodromo dawn blaze

CEBU, Philippines - Two persons were injured when an early morning fire destroyed two residential houses, including the house owned by a lawyer, yesterday in Greenside, Barangay Hipodromo, Cebu City.

Jennifer Malazarte, 39, and her daughter, Sheena, 15, were rushed to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) due to knee injuries after they reportedly jumped from the terrace of their two-storey house.

The fire started at the house owned by Jessie Codillero, 67, a retired employee of the Visayan Electric Company (VECO), located along Holy Cross St., of the said barangay around 3:48 a.m.

Codillero’s wife passed away last December.

The fire also destroyed the house owned by Atty. Sylvester Parado.

Chief Insp. William Tacaldo, Cebu City Fire Marshall, raised the fire to general alarm. It was controlled within 14 minutes before it was fully extinguished at around 4:12 a.m.

Codillero was asleep when the blaze started. He was with his daughter’ Jennifer; and granddaughter, Sheena. He woke up when he felt something hot near his feet. A few minutes later, Codillero saw that fire engulfed the area near the refrigerator at the ground floor of their house.

Codillero woke his daughter and granddaughter and rushed to the ground floor to save some of their belongings without knowing that Jennifer and Sheena were still on the second floor.

The two were left with no other choice but to jump off the terrace rather than be killed by the fire.

A neighbor, Rolando Tabucanon, who went to the scene, said it was Jennifer who first jumped followed by Sheena. Both were calling for help when he arrived.

Tacaldo said narrow road delayed firefighters to immediately extinguish the fire.

“Gamay ang lugar, considering dagko atong firetruck unya maglisod  og maneuver, (The area was very narrow. Firefighters found it difficult to maneuver the big fire trucks),” he said.

The damaged was pegged at P500,000.

Tacaldo suspected that faulty electrical wiring may have caused the fire. However, further investigation is being conducted to determine the real cause of the fire.  (FREEMAN)