Two fires in 13 hours hit Metro Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — In less than 13 hours, two separate fires broke out in Metro Cebu, leaving 323 individuals homeless and prompting local officials to request the declaration of a state of calamity in one of the heavily affected areas, Cogon Pardo in Cebu City.

On November 9, a third-alarm fire razed a residential area in Sitio All Season 3, Barangay Cogon Pardo, Cebu City.

After assessing the damage, Pardo Barangay Captain Jay Abarquez Bacalso said he will be calling for a special session with the barangay council to further discuss their disaster response after the fire displaced a total of 323 individuals from at least 87 families.

Bacalso emphasized that the declaration will help the barangay mobilize its resources and access its calamity funds for relief and financial assistance to the fire victims.

“Sa pagkakaron, magpatawag pa ko nila og special session… Posible gyud ming mo-kuan (declare) mi ani og ‘state of calamity’ kay di man mi kahatag sa part sa barangay og assistance nila ba kung di mi mo-deklara,” he told The Freeman yesterday.

However, Bacalso said that it is not yet certain when the special session will be held since it needs council attendance. He also shared that on the same morning before the fire broke out, the barangay had just concluded its second regular session for the month and the last for the year; hence, a special session will be needed to discuss urgent matters.

Based on reports from the Cebu City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the fire struck a residential area at 6:14 p.m. It was quickly raised to first alarm by 6:19 p.m., second alarm at 6:29 p.m., and third alarm around 6:42 p.m.

An hour later, the fire was placed under control at 7:43 p.m. and was declared fire out shortly past 8:15 p.m.—after more than two hours of firefighting efforts through the swift response of at least 66 fire brigades.

Among the responders were fire units from neighboring barangays in Cebu City, as well as from Talisay City and Mandaue City.

Further investigation revealed that the blaze engulfed about 2,500 square meters in the area, where a total of 74 houses were burned. At least 51 were reported to be totally destroyed, while 23 sustained partial damage.

The BFP also confirmed that the fire caused an estimated P3,750,000 in damages, while no casualties were reported.

Meanwhile, the affected individuals are temporarily housed at the Cogon Pardo Gym, where the Cebu City Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) conducted their intake assessment.

The DSWS, with the help of barangay officials, also provided the victims with modular tents and hot packed meals good for three days.

Apart from the relief assistance from the DSWS, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival also visited the evacuation site, where he personally extended assistance to the affected residents.

“Thankful usab mi kay si Mayor Archival, nibisita sab gyud dire gahapon sa gabie. Ni-susi siya dire sa kung unsay estado dire sa atong mga kaigsuonan nga nasunogan. Unya sa iya pod personal, kada head of the family base sa intake forms sa DSWS gihatag pod niya og gagmayng cash,” said Bacalso, expressing his gratitude to the city mayor.

When asked about those who lost their homes due to the fire, Bacalso said that through their coordination with the Cebu City Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP), local officials have already identified an available relocation site in the neighboring sitio.

“Naa nami’y relocation site sa Sitio Lourdes. Mao to nakig-coordinate na sab mi. Ni-ari ang DWUP ganina kay para i-relocate nila ba ug i-subdivide nila kung maigo ba ning 74 ka households unya 87 ka families,” he said.

The barangay captain also clarified that the fire was allegedly caused by faulty electrical wiring. He said that it suddenly ignited and a spark fell into a house made of “amakan” or woven split bamboo strips, causing the fire to break out and quickly spread to other closely clustered houses, which are mostly made of light materials.

Styrofoam warehouse in mandaue catches fire

The second fire responded to was at a styrofoam warehouse in a three-storey commercial building in Sitio Santo Niño, Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City yesterday morning, December 10.

Based on the account of Ei Mei Lee Maningo, a stay-in employee at the establishment, she was on the third floor when she heard a loud bang, which turned out to be the cause of the burning styrofoams. She said she already saw thick black smoke, prompting her to call for rescue.

“Murag naay nibuto. So, I thought nga normal heat up lang siya ba pero murag naay mga nangahagbong gud nga mga styro… Pagdayon nako gawas, kusog naman kaayo ang itom na aso. Nagtawag ko na ipa-rescue ko kay naa pay tao dire sa taas,” said Maningo in an interview with reporters.

Maningo also shared that, out of fear for her own safety and that of her two pet dogs, she made a risky decision to survive the incident.

A video that is currently going viral on social media captured her throwing her two pet dogs from the third floor. The pets were safely caught by people waiting downstairs, while Maningo herself climbed down with the assistance of firefighters, sustaining only minor injuries.

The Mandaue City BFP reported that their station received the alarm at 7:10 a.m. Upon responding to the scene, firefighters immediately escalated the operational status to second alarm at 7:14 a.m. They declared the fire under control by 7:50 a.m. and fully extinguished by 8:22 a.m.

Fire Officer 2 Mark Anthony Yagonia, fire investigator of the Mandaue BFP, revealed that electrical maintenance issues may have caused the fire.

“Most likely, atong na tan-aw ani kay walay maintenance bitaw sa electrical. Siguro naay problema sa kisame unya wala dayon matagai og pagtagad mao na nga niresulta sa ingon ani na panghitabo,” Yagonia said in a separate interview.

To prevent the recurrence of such incidents, Yagonia urged the public to be cautious and to always double-check faulty electrical wiring at home, which he said is the most common cause of fire incidents. —/IHM (FREEMAN)