Fire burned homes in a residential area in Purok Ube, Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City. /Benjie Talisic
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A huge fire broke in a residential area in Purok Ube in Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-lapu City Cebu past 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, burning more than a hundred homes.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) placed the fire alarm under Task Force Alpha which prompted the immediate response of firefighters from neighboring localities.
The fire was placed under control past 2 p.m. and was totally put out two hours later.
As of this writing, BFP is yet to investigate the cause of the flame and the number of structures affected.
No casualties were reported during the fire.
Nagiel Bañacia from Lapu-Lapu City’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said in a Facebook post that the fire burned at least 120 homes that were located near the Lapu-Lapu City Hoopsdome. The flame was reported to have started at the residence of a certain Juanito Vaflor.
Edgar Truz, 59, said that he barely saved anything from his burning home because he was already asleep when the fire broke.
“Maayo unta ug matabangan mi kay asa na man mi mangatog ani ron,” he told CDN Digital.
(We are appealing for help for my family because we are now let without a place to sleep on.)
Bañacia said the fire victims need food and relief goods. /dcb