Talisay fire that razed 3 homes tagged to firecrakers

CEBU, Philippines - At least three houses were burned down when a fire broke out in Canton Beach, Barangay Cansojong, Talisay City last Wednesday evening.

Firecrackers could be the cause of fire, according to the Talisay City Fire Department.

Fire investigators identified the house owners as Earl John Enrile, Neil Anthony Canton and Veronica Therese Canton.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Sherwin Algoso said children were playing "picolo" near the house of Enrile when the firecracker reportedly exploded. Its sparks then triggered the nearby motorcycle to catch fire because of the leaky gasoline tank.

The fire  started in Enrile's place and escalated to that of Neil Anthony and  Veronica Therese.

Algoso said they were able to control the fire within three minutes. He said they will try to locate those children who were reportedly playing picolo.

They estimated the damage at P100,000.

Veronica, in an interview, said she was thankful to her neighbors who helped them carry their belongings outside their house. She claimed that one man pretended to help them but instead tried to steal her cellphone.

Fortunately, her husband saw the incident and eventually stopped the man from taking the phone.

"Hapit gyud makasukmag akong bana kay nangawat naman ang nagpaaron-ingnon nga nitabang," Veronica said.

City Councilor Danny Caballero, who responded the fire incident, warned the residents not to get close to the electric post which continuously sparked.

He also called the power to shut down the connection temporarily. Caballero said that in case of emergencies like fire, power distributors should also be informed and must take action to prevent further damage to and loss of properties. — Gabriel C. Bonjoc of BANAT News