Firecracker stalls destroyed by fire

CEBU, Philippines - Fires broke out in the towns of San Fernando and Samboan during New Year's Day, causing almost P400,000 in damages.

In the first incident, four firecracker stalls in a vacant lot at the Barangay Poblacion public market in San Fernando were destroyed when one of the items sold there accidentally ignited and caused an explosion past 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Authorities said a whistle bomb firecracker triggered the explosion after a female customer bought from the stall owned by Erlinda Traya, 34, of Barangay Panadtaran.

SPO1 Francisco Salubre of the San Fernando Police Station told The FREEMAN that Mary Joy Costa, Traya's saleslady, had just served the female customer when the incident happened.

Salubre said the customer had just put the whistle bomb into a plastic bag when it suddenly exploded, causing sparks to fly and ignite the rest of the firecrackers, causing them to also explode.

Firecracker in nearby stalls owned by Peter Glen Loguiber, 28; Elmer Villamero, 40; and Mariz Cantina, 34; all of Barangay South Poblacion also got lighted and likewise blew off.

Residents helped in putting out the fire.

The police suspected that the firecracker's constant exposure to sunlight might have made the powder in the firecrackers volatile so that the slightest friction already caused it to ignite.

Meanwhile, five houses in Barangay Poblacion, Samboan town were burned to the ground when a fire broke out at around 1:30 p.m. also on New Year's Day.

SFO2 Molilito Leceña, fire investigator, said the blaze, the cause of which is suspected to be electrical, started at the house of Pepe Dingal.

The other homes were owned by Gaspar Llomente, Joseph Bayubay, Eliza Briones and Baltazar Dinauanao. The fire also damaged the house of Daniel Briones.

Leceña said that damage to the houses, which were all made from light materials, was at P300,000.

Aside from the Samboan's, fire trucks from the neighboring towns of Alegria, Badian, Ginatilan, Malabuyoc, Santander, Oslob and Boljoon also responded to the alarm.— Ria Mae Y. Booc,  Mylen Manto/RHM (FREEMAN)