147 families displaced in Mother’s Day fire

CEBU, Philippines —  Two fire incidents displaced at least 147 families and destroyed properties in Barangay Basak Nicolas, Cebu City on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9, 2021.

The first incident happened in sitio Caimito very early in the morning while the second fire erupted in Seaside Alumnos early in the afternoon.

The fire in sitio Caimito hit a residential area and displaced about 10 families. Damage to property was pegged at P700,000.

Fire Officer II Emerson Arceo of the Cebu City Fire Office said five houses were destroyed while three others were damaged. Alarm was raised at 6:51 a.m. and the fire was controlled at 7:06 a.m. It was put out at 7:19 a.m.

Arceo said the fire may have been caused by an electrical problem at a house whose owner was not present at that time.

“Nakit-an na sa nag-abang didto ug katong iyang igsuon… wala man siya atong time-ma… allegedly, didto nag-start kuno… nakakita sila ug aso nya nalilian nila naa na sa kisame ang kayo,” Arceo said.

“Gitan-aw pa namo kung unsa gyuy specific kay basin due to overloading or unsa ba, kay medyo karaan naman gud ang balay. If I’m not mistaken, ang gi-disclose nila, mga 1960s or 70s,” Arceo added.

The houses that were razed were made of light materials.

Meanwhile, the fire in Seaside Alumnos was a bigger one.

The first alarm was raised at 12:58 p.m. and second alarm was raised at 1:01 p.m. It was placed under control at 1:55 p.m. and put out at 2:41 p.m.

At least 100 houses and 137 families were affected and damage to property was pegged at P1.2 million.

According to the report of the Cebu City Fire Office (CCFO), the fire started at the house of a certain Teodomero Echevarria. Investigation is ongoing to determine the cause.

No one was injured or died in the two incidents.

Arceo reminded the public to be cautious in using electricity especially during the dry season. He said old wires may not carry the electrical load needed today and may cause short circuit, which can lead to a fire.

“If ma-notice mo atong electrity, dili kaayo sya stable… usahay mu low voltage… if medyo karaan na gyud inyong balay, atong ipa-rewiring,” he advised.

“Outdated na atong electrical wirings, plus pa gyud ang usual kanang electrical misuse, kanang dili ta mugamit sa standard… ug unsa gyud ang sakto, mangyawat man gud ta kay mas cheap pero in the long run, kuyaw sa disgrasya,” Arceo said. — JMO (FREEMAN)