20 houses destroyed in New Year’s Eve fire
CEBU, Philippines - At least 30 families were left homeless in a New Year's Eve fire that hit Sitio Upper Bonbonan, Barangay Labangon, Cebu City.
An estimated P300,000 worth of property was damage in the fire, which destroyed at least 20 houses.
The Cebu City Fire Department received the fire alarm at 7:20 p.m. and was later raised to task force alpha. It was under control after 20 minutes and was declared fire out at 11:28 PM.
Senior Fire Officer 1 Alberto Jagdon, fire investigator, said that based on initial investigation, the fire began on the ground floor of the house owned by Antonio Zapra and was occupied by Lila Rosenia, who was not there at the time of the incident.
The incident was reportedly triggered by a candle left unattended inside the house.
Jagdon said that they will have to conduct further investigation to find out the real cause.
The fire was able to spread quickly since the houses were made of light materials.
Jagdon disclosed that the houses were situated in the interior portion of the barangay which made it hard for the water hoses to reach.
He also said that aside from the narrow road, there was also no fire hydrant in the area.
No casualties were reported in the incident.
The affected families preferred to stay and spend their New Year celebration near their burnt houses.
On the same day, the Cebu City Fire Department received another two fire alarms in Barangays Capitol Site and Bulacao.
Before the firefighters could arrive at the areas, both fire incidents were immediately put out by the residents themselves. —ATO (FREEMAN)
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