Cebu City fires worry dads, call for fire drills, reblocking, implementing butane canister refilling ban

These are what are left of the razed houses in Sitio Calero, Barangay Tinago, after it was hit by an early morning fire on Wednesday. | CDN Digital photo by Tonee Despojo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — More fire drills, reblocking of densely populated areas, and strictly implementing butane refilling ban.

These are among the suggestions that the Cebu City’s opposition councilors are pushing to the concerned Cebu City offices and government agencies to address fire incidents from happening in the city.

The call came amid the four fire incidents that hit the city in six days that according to the Department of Social Wefare Services had destroyed at least P4 million in property and displaced at least 4,000  individuals.

Councilor Raymond Garcia said that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) should work together to implement more fire drills in the city to prepare the public in case a fire would occur.

Garcia said that this practice had been required of establishments once a year but he suggested that it had to be done more often and that this should include the barangays to train the residents about fire disasters. 

“Maybe the CDRRMO can spend a little on these trainings,” said Garcia.

Councilor Joy Pesquera also made a call on the departments responsible for reblocking an area.

Pesquera said that densely populated areas should be reblocked to avoid the easy spread of fire and easy access to responding firetrucks.

She said that barangay roads should be widened for easy access also to firetrucks.

City Councilor Joel Garganera, for his part, is also asking for the Department of Energy (DOE) and law enforcers to strictly implement the ban on illegally refilled butane canisters.

Garganera made the call after he received reports that an illegally-refilled butane canister caused the recent fire in Sitio Calero in Barangay Tinago.

He said that there should be an investigation on this and that there should be a strict implementation of the illegally-refilled butane canisters./dbs