Fires damage two-story houses

CEBU, Philippines - Two fires hit Cebu City and damaged at least three houses recently.

The latest fire incident happened in sitio Abellana, Barangay Luz at past 1 p.m. yesterday damaging the two-storey house of Girlie Miller.

Miller said she was eating at a nearby eatery when she heard her neighbors shouting that there was fire.

She quickly ran towards her house where she left her two-year-old grandchild sleeping at the ground floor.

She then saw thick smoke coming out of the second floor, prompting her to dash inside to rescue the infant.

Luckily, her mother has already taken the child out of the burning house. 

Residents mourning at a nearby chapel were about to transfer the coffin, but firefighters have already contained the fire before it could have spread to other structures.

The fire spread, though, to another house attached to Miller’s and also damaged portions of it.

After the fire was put out, Miller became emotional over stories she overheard that the fire was caused by a leftover tissue wick.

Some of her neighbors even accused her of letting drug addicts sniff illegal drugs at the second floor of her house, which she vehemently denied as nobody was allegedly upstairs when the fire occurred.

“Makadungog pa gani ko’g estorya nga ingon ana, ako na g’yud ning dayonon og sunog,” an angry Miller threatened.

Fire investigators are still verifying the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, in sitio Ginabsan, Barangay Basak-San Nicolas, another fire broke out and damaged a two-storey house at past 9 p.m. last Saturday.

Investigators are verifying the report that the fire was caused by a faulty television set placed at the second floor of the house owned by Margarito Coran, Jr.

The fire incident was the fourth to have been reported in the barangay this month alone.  (FREEMAN)