2 die, 3,000 homes razed, 20 hurt in Sulu fire

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Two people died, 3,000 houses were razed and more than 20 persons were hurt in more than five hours of fire that hit three barangays in downtown Jolo Thursday morning.

Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan said the names of the victims, mostly elderly and children, were not available as of press time. However, Tan said one died because of a heart ailment while the other died of third degree burn.

More than 3,000 houses in Barangays Takut-Takut, Tulay and Chinese Pier were razed by fire that started shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday.

Initial investigation disclosed that the fire was caused by an explosion of a liquefied petrolium gas tank in Barangay Takut-Takut. It rapidly swept the nearby houses until it engulfed the nearby Barangays of Tulay and Chinese Pier.

Tan said the family of a graduating student was cooking for a feast when the LPG tank exploded.

The blazing inferno sent more than 3,000 families homeless and damaged million of pesos worth of private properties.

Tan said the provincial government of Sulu and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) temporarily used at least three elementary school buildings to house the affected families. - With Roel Pareño