Ouano-owned buildings catch fire

CEBU, Philippines – An early morning fire gutted down two Ouano-owned buildings in Barangay Opao, Mandaue City yesterday, leaving at least P600,000 in damages, fire investigators said.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Cepriano Codilla Jr. of the Mandaue City Fire Department told The FREEMAN that the fire originated around 7:20 a.m. in an establishment called International Kitchenette, a renter in one of the buildings in the area.

The buildings are said to be owned by siblings Mandaue City Councilor Emmarie Ouano-Dizon, Alfred and Jongskie Ouano.

Investigators said they could not immediately establish what may have caused the incident.

But according to witness Patricio Semblante, the fire quickly spread to the nearby establishments in the first building, and then on to the adjacent one.

Senior Fire Officer 1 Glen Campilan said the fire totally gutted down the buildings, including a restobar purportedly owned by the Ouanos.

In their assessment, Campilan estimated the damages to be at around P600,000. He added that the fire was put out after an hour and 22 minutes and was raised to Task Force Alpha, meaning

Yesterday's fire was the second to have hit the city since it acquired two automated fire trucks last week.

Last Saturday, a fire also hit a residential area in Barangay Paknaan, leaving at least 50 families homeless.

City spokesperson Roger Paller said the new automated fire trucks, which cost the city P22 million, were used in both incidents. (FREEMAN)