Fire hits 3 areas in province in 3 days

CEBU, Philippines – At least three houses, a bunk house and a hectare-wide cassava plantation were razed by fire in separate incidents in the province in the last three days.

The successive incidents started at past 10 p.m. on Sunday when a fire hit a house owned by Gomersenda Intrampas in Sitio Bandillan, Barangay Bagay, Daanbantayan town.

At past 11 p.m., a fire broke out in Poblacion in the neighboring town of Medellin, razing two houses before firefighters could arrive.

Senior Fire Officer 3 Leopoldo Pesquera, officer-in-charge of the Medellin Fire Station, said they received the alarm at 11:11 p.m. but could not respond immediately since their fire truck was being used to put out the fire in Daanbantayan. The station’s other truck is still under repair.

“Ang atong fire truck, nirespondi og lain nga sunog sa Daanbantayan mga alas 10:13 sa Sitio Bandillan, Barangay Bagay.  Niabot og first alarm. Ang substation sa Kawit gipaayo ang fire truck, out of service,” Pesquera said.

The houses in Medellin that were razed to the ground were owned by siblings Maria Geraldine and Teoderic Jurcales.

Pesquera said the fire originated from the house of Maria Geraldine and might have been triggered by a kerosene lamp that was left unattended.

No lamp was reportedly lighted when Maria Geraldine left the house to practice for a performance for the Women’s Month next Sunday but one of her children reportedly lighted one after she was gone.

“Gipatay na sa inahan kay ang inahan nag-practice og sayaw kay naay presentation sa women’s program karong Sunday. At that time, gipalong ang suga, naay gikuanan ang anak, gipasigaan og balik nakalimtan og palong… basin natuwad ang kerosene lamp,” Pesquera said.

Damage was pegged at P9,000.

The following day, Sunday, a fire razed a hectare-wide cassava plantation past 5 p.m. in Barangay Cogon East in Carmen town.

The caretaker of the plantation noticed a smoke coming from the plantation but reportedly did not mind it until the whole plantation was engulfed with fire.

No person was injured and it remains unclear what caused the flame.

Meanwhile, in Minglanilla town, a bunkhouse caught fire in yesterday morning.

Fire Officer 3 Manolet Villarta said the fire station received the alarm at 10:50 a.m. but residents were able to put out the fire themselves.

“Ang nag-stay-in didto, nag-init og tubig sa rice cooker, nabiyaan niya… ang tubig nahurot na, nainit na siya’g maayo, nibuto. Gitabangan ra nila ngadto, napalong ra dayon,” Villarta said. – /JMO (FREEMAN)