AT LEAST 50 persons were left homeless when a fire razed down three houses including a boarding house and partially burned three more in Sitio Lower Sampaguita, Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City on Monday morning.
SFO1 Noel Codilla, investigator of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Mandaue City, pegged the damage at P1.2 million.
The victims are now temporarily housed at a vacant lot in Lower Sampaguita where the barangay has put up tents as shelters.
Rene Antiga, Secretary of Barangay Banilad, said that they have also opened areas in the barangay hall to accommodate more evacuees.
“The evacuees are well taken care of. We have provided them their immediate needs,” said Antiga.
Jessie Perez, head of the City Social Welfare Services (CSWS) said that emergency kits have been distributed to the 39 families affected by the fire.
Food, blankets, and toiletries are expected to last the evacuees three days while the CSWS works on their financial assistance
Perez said that owners of fully burned houses will receive P10,000 while those whose houses were partially burned will get P5,000.
Renters and sharers will all receive P5,000.
According to the CSWS count, there were eight home owners and 39 families who rented and shared the burned houses.
According to Codilla, the fire started in the boarding house owned by Edwardo Mendez.
Codilla said that a certain Randy Molato, 41, admitted to the BFP that while he was cooking inside the boarding house, the gas hose burst which started the fire.
Molato suffered second degree burns and was rushed to the hospital after being rescued.
The BFP received the alarm at 10:48 a.m. which was raised to second alarm at 11:01 a.m. The fire was put out at 12:50 p.m. or more than two hours after.
Codilla said that the narrow road and alleys made it difficult for the responders to penetrate the area.
“Lisod ang agianan mo. Molabang pa ta sa paril sa pikas bahin. (The place was difficult to enter. We need to climb a wall to get to the other side),” said Codilla.
Banilad Barangay Captain Greg Yap told CDN that he might ask the city to widen the road in Sitio Lower Sampaguita or expropriate parcels of lots to connect it to Hernan Cortes St.