Two fires strike Ormoc in 3 hrs

ORMOC CITY, Philippines — Quick responses by concerned people have stopped two fires that hit different areas in the city in a span of three hours last Monday.

The first fire took place at around 4 p.m. when children accidentally set off a fire at the back of the building of the V. Rama Funeral Homes.

Employees of the establishment quickly reacted by using an extinguisher and, minutes later, when the city department firefighters led by fire officer Roberto Ygona arrived the fire was already put out.

By 7:20 p.m., or three hours later, the fire department got another alarm call, this time from a resident of Brgy. Tambulilid where a hut located at a populous village was reportedly set on fire deliberately.

Frantic neighbors quickly worked together to put out the fire that started to engulf a house immediately next to the burning shanty.

In two minutes, firefighters were at the scene. SFO1 Restituto Ollave said that by 8 p.m. a fire out was declared.  

The fire razed the hut of Ephraim "Jun-jun" Bacho Jr., and partially burned the neighboring house of Leonardo Lagrama.

Ollave said the fire at the V. Rama Funeral Home caused around P3,000 worth of damage to property, while the one at Tambulilid had an estimated P250,000 in damages.

Tambulilid is one of the city's most populated barangays where the biggest resettlement area for the 1991 victims is located together with three middle-class subdivisions. — THE FREEMAN