70 houses razed in Mambaling fire
CEBU, Philippines — About 70 houses were totally destroyed while another three were partially damaged in an afternoon fire that hit Sitio Huyong-Huyong and Puntod in Alaska, Mambaling, Cebu City yesterday.
No one was reported injured or had died in the fire incident.
The fire department received the alarm at 2:19 p.m. They raised the incident to third alarm at 2:35 p.m. The fire was placed under control at 3:42 p.m.
Senior Fire Officer 1 Leo Pastrana, a fire investigator at the Cebu City Fire Station, said the fire started from the house of Josephine “Joy” Amora, whose daughter Carlenen Amora, 32, was staying. They reportedly also have a computer shop inside.
Pastrana said the fire department has pegged the damage at P1.2 million. Most of the structures that were destroyed were made of light materials.
He added that they would call the house owner and other witnesses to determine the cause of the conflagration.
Aside from the structures that were destroyed, there were also vehicles and a motorcycle that was damaged in the fire.
Pastrana said they had difficulty penetrating the fire scene because of the narrow road network and there were areas that they could not enter because of the ongoing road repair.
He added that the number of the structures may still change, as they are still completing the report.
Amora, for her part, said she was not able to save anything because they just came from their store in Sto. Nino.
She added that yesterday’s fire incident was already their second. They also fell victim to a fire in 2004. However, despite these setbacks, she is confident that her family would be able to bounce back from this tragedy.
Amora said she does not have any idea what caused the fire.
Mambaling Acting Barangay Captain Anne Marie Vestil-Palomo said they would utilize the Abbya Gym for the accounting and listing of the fire victims.
The residents, for their part, have expressed concerns that they might not be allowed to build back their homes in the fire site because of the proposed road network that would be constructed in the area. — GAN (FREEMAN)
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