• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A total of 96 houses were burned, affecting 99 families, while a village official was injured in two fire incidents in Bacolod City in the past two days, reports of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) showed.
A blaze yesterday morning hit 15 houses in Purok Kingfisher of Barangay 16.
The day before, 81 houses made of light materials, were also razed by fire in Purok Kagaykay, Barangay 2.
Of the 15 houses affected in Barangay 16, 10 were destroyed by fire while five others were partially damaged, initial BFP investigation showed.
Alejandro Tiad, 50, the president of Purok Kingfisher, sustained second degree burns.
FSupt. Jenny Mae Masip, city fire marshal, said the fire originated from the house of a certain Gerald Arroyo and suspected to have been caused by an overheated ceiling fan.
The affected 18 families, composed of 83 individuals, are staying in an evacuation center, and being assisted by the city’s Department of Social Services and Development.
Meanwhile, the fire in Barangay 2 on Wednesday was triggered by burning cardboard egg trays used as an improvised mosquito repellant, according to the investigation.
A total of 81 families, composed of 344 residents, were displaced by the fire.
The two fire incidents brought an estimated damage of more than P2 million, based on the BFP estimates. | GB
