Cebu fire deparment blames MCWD for fire

Coordination between the fire department and the Metropolitan Cebu Water District could have spelled the difference between tragedy and relief in last Saturday’s fire in Sitio per Kawayan, Sambag II.

The Cebu City Fire Department yesterday blamed the MCWD for not responding immediately to its call to increase the water pressure into the hydrants near the area.

The fire was put under control only 45 minutes later even with the combined efforts of the fire department and volunteer firefighting groups from other cities and municipalities. The fire left three people dead and rendered 228 families homeless.

Pardenilla said that low water pressure rendered them ineffective in containing the fire but, MCWD spokesperson Tertuliana Andaya said that the fire department did not inform them about the fire. She said it was unfair to blame the MCWD for the fire department’s failure to coordinate with them.

Andaya said the main office only learned about the fire one hour after it started when one of their field personnel called them. Pardenilla appealed to the MCWD to revive its previous program to assign personnel at the fire department. — Freeman News Service