Fire razes 2 beach resorts in Boracay

Panicked tourists fled their rooms as a fire razed several cottages at two beach resorts on the central Philippines’ tourist island of Boracay on Friday, fire officials said. There were no reports of injuries.

The blaze was suspected to have started from a cooking fire at the Oro resort and destroyed several cottages made of light materials, said Boracay Fire Chief Kim Celesio. The resort is being renovated and had no guests at the time.

The fire quickly spread to the adjacent Saigon beach resort, where seven cottages were gutted, he added. The blaze was put out after about an hour.

"The tourists at Saigon panicked briefly. They fled their rooms, some carrying their bags, and gathered at the beachfront," said Babes Inamarga, a worker at the nearby Queens Resort that was unaffected by the fire. The peak tourist season starts in November, so the resorts were not yet packed, she said.

Celesio said several tourists lost their belongings. Damage was initially estimated at around P1 million.

Last year, fire destroyed 60 beachside shops and three resorts on the island, famed for its powdery white-sand beaches, injuring six people and causing about P200 million in damage.

Boracay is about 310 kilometers south of Manila. — AP