Fire leaves 184 homeless in Cordova

CEBU, Philippines — A fire that struck a residential area in Sitio Sudlon, Barangay Catarman, Cordova, Cebu, yesterday morning displaced around 184 individuals and damaged 35 homes.

According to the report from the Cordova Fire Station, the fire began at 9:25 a.m. and was raised to the first alarm a few minutes later.

By 9:52 a.m., the fire had escalated to the third alarm, and was declared fire out at 10:11 a.m.

A Facebook post from the Municipality of Cordova indicated that 40 families, comprising 184 individuals, were displaced by the fire.

Twenty houses were destroyed, and 15 others were partially damaged. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

In an exclusive interview with The Freeman, Cordova Mayor Cesar “Didoy” Suan assured the victims that the local government is committed to assisting them.

"Sa tanan nga mga nasunugan, kasabot mi sa inyong gibati karon. Rest assured, ang LGU together with Province of Cebu and Region sa DSWD, we will really help you nga mabalik nato, dili man siguro ang kinatibuk-an sa inyong pinuy-anan but rest assured nga makatabang mi og pabarog sa inyong puy-an," Suan said.

Yesterday, the local government unit provided P10,000 financial assistance to the owners of the 20 completely destroyed houses. The 15 partially damaged houses will receive assistance tomorrow, July 15.

The residents have also been provided with food assistance, water supplies, and hygiene kits.

Additionally, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office have installed solar lights in the affected area.

The displaced families are currently staying in the evacuation center and in Barangay Catarman. (CEBU NEWS)