Fire guts portion of tycoon's house

TAGBILARAN CITY , Philippines — Fire investigators estimated a P3-million damage in Monday night’s blaze that gutted the major portion of a house at Booy district, this city, owned by business tycoon Marlito Uy of the Alturas Group of Companies.

The Uys no longer live in their old house at Cloma Street since they already transferred to Dao district, also in this city, last April.

Witnesses said the fire started in one of the rooms at the basement that was formerly the maids’ quarters. Fire investigators however were still determining the cause, the results of which would be out anytime this week.

The fire was contained within the well-fenced premises of the Uy compound, sparing nearby houses at the back including some houses made of light materials.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Geronides Gonzaga told The Freeman that only the portion of the Uy’s house, which were made of light materials, were burned while the concrete frame of the entire building was spared.

It was the seventh fire to hit in the last three weeks of the rain-deficit period, he said, adding that his office received the fire alarm at 7:42 p.m. Monday through the provincial government’s quick response team, or the Telephone and Radio System Integrated Emergency Response (TARSIER) 117.

Seven teams of firefighters managed to control the fire in 45 minutes. The main station of the Bureau of Fire Protection here at Calceta St. sent two fire trucks, and the team stationed at the old City Hall beside the police station also rushed to the scene in two fire trucks; while firetrucks from BFP sub-stations in Lindaville, Mansasa, and Ubujan also responded.

The support groups from Alturas Group of Companies and BQ Mall also sent fire trucks to help put off the fire. It was already around 8:30 p.m. when the fire was declared under control, but the overhaul and post-fire clean-up operations kept them at the scene until past 9 p.m.  – THE FREEMAN