Power pilferage triggers fire

The pilferage of electricity through illegal electrical connections caused a three-hour fire that destroyed last Thursday night more than 70 houses and rendered homeless at least 300 families that are expected to have a bleak Christmas this year in Caloocan City.

Chief Inspector Juan Reyes, Caloocan City fire marshal, said that the blaze started at around 8:35 p.m. at the back of a house owned by Romy Torilla at the corner of Samson Abbey road at the PNR Compound in Barangay 73.

Torilla, 40, a photographer of news tabloid Remate, told arson investigators that before the incident, unidentified men were seen by his neighbors tampering with electrical wirings at a neighbor’s house located at the back of his house.

He said the tampered electrical connection could have triggered the blaze at the back of his house and immediately spread to adjacent houses.

Around 70 houses, mostly old structures made from light materials, were destroyed displacing around 300 families.

Reyes said firetrucks were hampered from getting close to the fire scene after the fire victims blocked the streets with their belongings.

He said the fire was also aggravated by the strong winds that fanned the flames which immediately spread to other houses.

Firemen declared that the fire was put under control at around 10:49 p.m.

An estimated P2 million property went up in smoke but no one was reported hurt, Reyes said.

The Caloocan City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) office is situated just across the burned area.

Senior Fire Officer 3 Randy Resurreccion said that most of the gutted houses had no regular power supply and were totally dependent on illegal connection.

He said that last Tuesday, a small fire was reportedly caused by illegal electrical connections also occurred in the area.

Mayor Enrico Echiverri directed the local social services office to send relief goods to the fire victims.

The mayor also ordered the city engineering department to help provide housing materials to the affected families.

Meanwhile, The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) yesterday warned residents to be careful of Christmas lights to prevent fires during the holiday season.

The BFP issued the call during the celebration of the bureau’s 33rd recognition day wherein the agency also cited the contribution to public service of 57 firemen and six mayors led by Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., and other citizens, including Philippine STAR reporter Cecille Suerte Felipe.

The BFP cited The STAR for supporting the BFP’s campaign through the years by imforming the public of the developments in fire prevention, the bureau’s programs, and providing balanced information and news coverage.

Aside from Belmonte, the other mayors cited by the BFP were Lourdes Fernando of Marikina, Neptali Gonzales of Mandaluyong, Rosendo Franco of Pateros, Jejomar Binay of Makati, and Celso Lobregat of Zamboanga City. — Pete Laude, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jerry Botial