• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A total of 314 families were rendered homeless after a three-hour fire hit Purok Cheriza in Barangay 27, Bacolod City early morning on Friday (Sept. 12).
Of the houses burned, 232 were destroyed while two others were damaged, a report of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office showed.
No one was reported hurt among the 963 displaced individuals.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) estimated the damage at P4.5 million.
FSupt. Jenny Mae Masip, city fire marshal, said the fire originated from the second floor of the rented house of alias “Fritz” and his live-in partner alias “Sunshine”.
Arson investigators learned that the couple used an extension wire to tap electricity from their neighbor.
Masip said electrical ignition due to arcing triggered the fire, noting that substandard extension wire may have been used or the socket may not have been designed to hold multiple appliances.
The fire, which started minutes past midnight, escalated to third alarm level before a fire out was declared at 3:10 a.m.
The couple, who are nowhere to be found, can be held liable for the incident if negligence is established.
Masip said a BFP personnel was injured in the right hand while responding to the fire.
Mayor Greg Gasataya said he immediately mobilized the city’s Department of Social Services and Development to provide the displaced families with basic needs such as sleeping and hygiene kits, hot meals, and food packs.
The affected individuals are staying in modular tents inside the Apolinario Mabini Elementary School evacuation center.
Gasataya also assured the fire victims of financial assistance. | GB
