Fire leaves 118 families homeless in Mambaling
CEBU, Philippines — Close to 50 houses were destroyed in a fire that hit Sitio Ipil-Ipil, Barangay Alaska Mambaling, Cebu City early dawn yesterday.
The Cebu City Fire Department received the alarm around 1:45 a.m. and raised it to third alarm at 2:13 a.m.
The fire was placed under control at 3:39 a.m., and it was completely put off at 6:38 a.m.
The fire reportedly started from the house of Junmark Gonzaga. The fire department still has to determine the cause of the fire though.
Senior Fire Officer 3 Hermes Molina, who is investigating the incident, said they are still continuing their investigation and they would be summoning some witnesses, including Gonzaga.
About 40 houses were totally destroyed, while five were partially damaged.
The damage to the fire was pegged at P139,000, while there were about 118 families who were affected by the incident.
A resident in the area, Jefferson Betasolo, got injured in the feet, while a mother and her three children were rescued by the personnel of the SRU and BFP after the family got trapped inside their house.
The fire victims are temporarily staying at the Viking gymnasium.
The fire in Ipil-Ipil is already the third incident that hit Alaska Mambaling this year. The first fire hit Sitio Puntod, while the second incident hit Sitio Wangyu.
The residents in the area believed that the overloaded electrical line has caused the fire, but the fire investigators would still have to validate the suspicion.
Christine Vergara said she was not able to bring any of their possessions, as she made sure her children are safe.
The victims are asking for help that include used clothing, blankets, mats and other basic items. GAN (FREEMAN)
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