P1M lost, 981 individuals displaced as fire in Tejero destroys 149 houses

A late afternoon fire razes 149 houses in Barangay Tejero on Friday, April 26. |Zena V. Magto

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Some 921 individuals or 220 families were displaced by a late afternoon fire that razed 149 houses in Sitio Silangan, Barangay Tejero in Cebu City on Friday, April 26.

Wesley Yñigo, operations head of City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), in a text message  to CDN Digital said that this was their initial report as of 9:23 p.m. on Friday.

Tejero Barangay Captain Hermogenes Galang Jr., for his part, said in an interview with CDN Digital that the fire victims were temporarily staying at the Tejero Sports Complex beside the barangay hall.

Galang said that if needed they would transfer the fire victims in schools nearby.

Earlier, at past 6 p.m., after the fire was put under control, Fire Inspector Noel Ababon, said that the fire, whom he described as the biggest fire to hit Cebu City this month, destroyed 80 houses and damaged 10 others.

Ababon placed the damage to property at P1 million.

Last April 22, seventeen houses in Barangay Lahug were razed by fire.

Read more: At least 17 houses razed in Lahug fire

Ababon also said that there were three persons, who were injured at the height of the fire.

He, however, said that they were still trying to identify these persons and were still trying to verify what the injuries they suffered.

He said that they received the fire alarm at 4:50 p.m. and this was raised to the first alarm at 4:57 p.m., where at least two fire trucks would respond to the fire, and at 5:02 p.m. the fire was raised to second alarm, where at least two more fire trucks would be added to battle the fire.

At 5:11 p.m., the alarm was already at Task Force Alpha, where fire fighters from neighboring towns and cities to help put out the fire. At 6 p.m., the fire was placed under control. As of 8:52 p.m., the fire fighters were still overhauling the area.

Ababon said that they were investigating claims that kids playing with fire allegedly started the fire.

He said that they had to verify this claim.

He said that the fire started at the house of Shirley and Preciano Karomayan, which was being rented by Joei Bantugan.

Barangay Captain Galang said in an earlier interview with CDN Digital that the barangay was already preparing the food for the fire victims, who were temporarily staying at the Tejero Sports Complex.

Galang said that they were buying 100 loaves of bread and were preparing porridge for the food of the fire victims.

He said that they would be meeting with the barangay council to discuss if they would declare a state of calamity in the barangay.

Galang said he could not say if the fire victims could return to the lots where they built their homes because the area where the fire occurred was a government owned property.

He said that they would tap into the fund of the barangay to aid the victims in cases like fire. / dbs