Fire guts thirty homes

Fire hit the densely populated Sitio Kilawan, Barangay Tangke on Sunday. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO

She was about to go to the Tabunok Public Market to sell fish, but she stopped on her tracks as she heard that fire was razing through their place in Sitio Kilawan, Barangay Tangke, Talisay City.

Clad in her apron, 49-year-old Letty Mabanag ran back home. But the blaze was too quick to spread and had started to eat up her house.

“Mataranta na g’yud ka. Duol na kaayo ang kayo. Wala nami mabuhat kundi kuhaon nalang unsay dali makuha,” Mabanag said.

(I panicked. The fire was already near. We couldn’t do anything about it so we just grabbed what we could save.)

Mabanag said that they were only able to save some clothes, mostly those that had just been washed and hang outside their home.

“Bisan among mga napundar nga appliances wala kaayo mi nakuha,” she said tearfully.

(We couldn’t even get the appliances that we’ve managed to buy over time.)

The fire broke at around 2:10 p.m. and was put under control an hour and thirty minutes later. By the time the fire was out, 30 houses were lost with a still to be determined number of affected residents.

Most of the houses were made of light materials. Fire investigators estimated the damage at P450,000.

The narrow road to the site made it difficult for fire trucks to enter the area filled with informal settlers.

People rushed to the streets, bringing out appliances or whatever they could save from the burning houses.

As of 8 p.m. last night, Tangke Barangay Captain Perla Cabanes said that she could still not determine just how many people lost their homes.
She said that the fire victims will be given temporary shelter in the barangay hall and gym.

Talisay City Fire marshall Senior Insp. Joel Abarquez said that investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire following conflicting statements from the victims.