Screenshot via video courtesy of Zhian John Tabafa Cala-or
ABOUT 100 houses were destroyed in a fire believed to have been caused by an explosion of damaged butane canisters in Sitio Arca, Barangay Pusok in Lapu-Lapu City at past 9 pm Monday.
About 30 fire trucks from as far as Talisay City responded to the fire site. Pusok barangay chairperson Caridad Dawat opened the Pusok Elementary School and gym as well as a multipurpose hall below the Fernan bridge to house the displaced fire victims. Firefighters found it difficult to put out the fire due to strong winds and the fire site’s location which cannot be entered by vehicles.
Sitio Arca is mostly inhabited by boarders from the Mactan Export Processing Zone. Dawat said she will meet with barangay officials to place the fire site under calamity status. She said she up the City Social Welfare Office to provide meals for the fire victims.
Barangay officials have yet to place estimate on number of victims and cost of damages if any. The fire has yet to be put out at this time.