Valentine blaze razes 11 houses in B. Rodriguez

CEBU, Philippines - A fire broke out and ate up 11 houses in B. Rodriguez St., Barangay Capitol Site, yesterday morning.

The Cebu City Department, which received the report at 10:13 am, raised the fire alarm to Task Force Alpha, as all available fire trucks from the neighboring cities were needed to assist in putting out the fire. Firefighters controlled the fire after 20 minutes.

Fire Officer 3 Emiliano Daño, fire investigator, said the fire started at the second floor of the two-storey house of couple Vicente and Marife David.

Daño said they are still looking for the couple to shed light on the incident, as they still have no idea what triggered the blaze.

Around 20 fire trucks responded to the area. Luckily, firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to a gasoline station, which was located just beside the house that caught fire.

Huge fire trucks could not enter the area, which was in the interior portion of Purok Sto. Niño.

Fire Marshall William Tacaldo said the area is dangerous particularly during calamities because it has a dead end. 

Tacaldo then appealed to barangay officials to check their respective areas of responsibility particularly those with dead-end areas and create roads that the residents can pass through.

“For example dead-end na, unya ang kayo tua sa karsada dapit kun asa pud unta ka mugawas, unya layo kaayo ang travel paingon sa karsada, asa man sila agi? Ma-trap sila, so delikado kaayo sa mga tawo, (For example, this is a dead-end area and the fire starts near the road where people may exit and it’s a bit far to reach the road, where will the people go to avoid the blaze?)” Tacaldo explained.

Three residents were also reportedly hurt while saving their properties. There were no other casualties reported, though, the report so far showed.

Celso Mendez, who was bound to his wheelchair and was paralyzed, managed to get out just minutes before the fire spread to his house. They were not able to save anything.

His wife, Mina, also kept on crying while calling out for their dog, which they believed was trapped in their house.

The pump boys of the nearby gasoline station also no longer entertained customers and started running away. Some of them took some gas tanks one by one away from the flames.

A man, who apparently has just woken up, went outside to check what the commotion was about. He then ran, together with his neighbors, away from the fire, with only his red briefs on.

Also, some of the residents splashed their houses with water while the fire neared their houses. They also saved their properties and took it outside as precautions.

Capitol Site barangay captain Manuel Guanzon said the fire victims can stay at the sports complex in Juana Osmeña St. The barangay extended food as immediate assistance to the residents that the fire left homeless.

“Magsabot pa mi kung magtolda ba o adto sila temporarily sa sports complex. Di man g’yud na sila mubiya sa ilang lugar, (We will discuss first whether to use tents or place them temporarily at the sports complex. They will surely not leave their place.)” said.

The fire department is yet to come up with the cost of properties that the fire has damaged.  (FREEMAN)