Settlers of Barangay Lower Kamputhaw recover whatever belongings they can find at the remains of their houses as black smoke wafts over their heads on a rainy Saturday afternoon. CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza
ALORA Barco kept watch over her sleeping one-month-old daughter when her seven-year-old son rushed inside their house and shouted “Fire!” before 4 p.m. last Saturday.
Barco, a 27-year-old mother of four, immediately took her children out of their home located 20 meters from the house of Roxanne Limbaga where the fire originated.
She said the fire ate all her belongings, including their clothes.
Barco’s family was among the 227 families displaced by the fire that razed 134 houses in Purok 3, Barangay Kamputhaw in Cebu City last Saturday afternoon. Damages were pegged at nearly P1 million.
Personnel of Cebu City Hall’s City Social Welfare Services (CSWS) office gave packed meals to the fire victims since Saturday night, said Maxima Arellano, Barangay Gender and Development (GAD) focal person.
The barangay’s medical team attended to the injured residents and gave medicines to the evacuees.
Dr. Maria Ava Vios, head of the barangay medical team, said the children were ill due to the downpour during last Saturday’s fire.
“For as long as they are here in the gym, we will be stationed here also to give immediate medical attention to the evacuees,” Vios said.
Camputhaw Barangay Captain Ica Cadungog said the fire victims will be allowed to rebuild their homes in Purok 3 once reblocking of the site is completed.
Cadungog said they are waiting on the CSWS to complete the list of affected residents and damaged houses before they start the reblocking.
Cadungog said the fire site is part of the lots covered under Provincial Ordinance 93-1 that were turned over to the Cebu City government in a lot swap deal with the province last Friday.
“We will fix the roads going into the community because it was observed that the firemen had a hard time putting off the fire because of the narrow pathways,” Cadungog said.
The barangay council of Camputhaw said they will use 30 percent of their calamity funds or P300,000 to help the fire victims in rebuilding their houses.
Cebu City Fire Marshal Noel Ababon called on the barangay council to require inspections of electrical connections in the houses of their constituents since most of the fires are caused by faulty wiring.