Fire razes 70 houses in Brgy Mambaling

CEBU, Philippines — At least 70 houses were razed by fire in three sitios of Barangay Mambaling shortly before noon yesterday.

The fire alarm was received by the fire department at 11:07 a.m. and was immediately raised to task force alpha 20 minutes later.

The initial investigation showed that the fire started at the second floor of the house of Mamerto Ravena Jr. The cause is yet to be determined.

Senior Fire Officer 3 Lowell Opolentisima, fire investigator of the Cebu City Fire Station, said the narrow access road and the lack of fire hydrant in the area were among the problems encountered during the firefighting operation.

Opolentisima said no one was injured during the fire but the damage reached at least P700,000. One of the families affected was that of the late The Freeman reporter Gabby Malagar who passed away Sunday last week.

Gingging Malagar, Gabby’s wife, said they were only able to save important documents. She said they did not expect the fire to reach their place because of the river in between the area where the fire started.

Barangay Councilman Seller Salvador said at least three sitios were affected---Wangyu, Abbya, and Ipil-ipil. He said the affected families will be temporarily sheltered at the barangay gym.—  FPL (FREEMAN)