Fire razes classrooms, injures elderly couple

CEBU, Philippines - Grades one and two pupils of the Pinamungajan Central School have nowhere to hold classes today after four of their classrooms were gutted by fire and two others were destroyed midday yesterday in Barangay Poblacion.

All classrooms for grade two were totally burned while for grade one were destroyed.

Fire investigators of the Pinamungajan Fire Station have yet to determine the cause of fire as the town experience rotating brown out from 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. yesterday. The fire allegedly broke out at 12:00 noon.

PO3 Gilbert Barrera, alert team personnel of the Pinamungajan Fire Station, said that classrooms were all made of light materials.

"Ang duha nakan-an lang gyud na katong upat maoy na-ugdaw gyud," he said in a phone interview.

Barrera said that books, wooden desk and chairs are among the items burned in the two damaged classrooms.

The fire was controlled for 10 minutes before it was declared fire out at 12:30 noon while the damage was pegged at more or less P50,000.

Meanwhile, an elderly couple suffered burns in their bodies during a fire that razed 14 houses in Cabajar Street, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City shortly before midnight Saturday.

Eugenio Banaay, 72, said that if not for the ladder that he has made, he, his wife, Rosario, 65, and house helper, Aileen Zamora, fire would have already killed them.

He was reportedly sleeping with his wife when Zamora frantically woke them up as the flames started to engulf their house.

"Abi man lang to nako og naa'y nag-away kay nag-videoke man sila (neighbors).  Naa koy nadunggan nagsigi og singgit pagtawag og pulis," said Banaay in an interview with The Freeman.

The couple hurried out of their room and the three of them tried to get out of the house, but the fire already at the main door.

Eugenio then thought of the bamboo ladder that he made years back, which he used to get across the wall of a neighbor.

"Mura ko'g 17 anyos, nikatkat g'yud ko. Niingon ko sa akong kaugalingon di sa ko magpakamatay," the septuagenarian narrated.

The three of them eventually got across their' neighbor's area and were saved.

The flames caught up Rosario and she eventually suffered first degree burns as well as Eugenio, who tried but failed to retrieve his driver's license at their house. He currently drives a rent-a-car for a Cebu City hotel.

The fire struck sitio Nicka at 11:45 pm and was controlled barely 40 minutes later, the Cebu City Fire Department reported.

The blaze started at the house of Bayaan's neighbor, Renante Luang.

Luang said he was singing with his friends when he heard at least five explosions coming from the ceiling of his house.

"Primero ato usa, dayon nikatulo, pagka-upat kusog na unya pagkalima, piti-piti na man nga nagtulo-tulo na ang kayo nya nagbaga na man ang sin," he narrated.

He then rushed to his 15-year-old son's room and woke him up. His son, who was half-awake, went back to sleep, which prompted Luang to pull him up.

Rose Lidana, focal person of the Gender Advocacy and Development of Barangay Guadalupe, said the fire destroyed 14 houses and affected 24 families comprising at least 92 individuals.

Guadalupe Barangay Captain Michael Gacasan said the affected area will be placed under state of calamity so that financial assistance can be extended to the affected families.

Fire investigator, SFO1 Emiliano Daño, pegged the damage at P250,000 while faulty electrical wiring was the initial finding of the cause of fire. --- Ria Mae Y. Boo, Niña G. Sumacot and Bryner L. Diaz of Banat News/GMR (FREEMAN)