This boarding house has been turned to ashes in the fire that hit 441-P, Second Street, Barangay Duljo Fatima, Cebu City at 10:49 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019.|CDND Photo/ ALVEN MARIE TIMTIM
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A fire that erupted in one of the rooms of a boarding house in 441-P, Second Street, Barangay Duljo Fatima of this city razed the multi-storey boarding house and partly burned down three other houses shortly before noon today, September 14, 2019.
According to Senior Fire Inspector Arnel Abella, of the Cebu City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the fire alarm was reported at 10:49 a.m. and was raised to second alarm at 10:56 a.m. Due to the strong wind, the fire immediately spread to the other house.
The BFP declared a fire out by 11:50 a.m.
The boarding house owner, Elino Figuracion, 50, was injured in the incident as he tried to put out the flame at the second floor’s room using afire extinguisher. Figuracion suffered a first degree burn on his right shoulder, added Abella.
The BFP placed the initial fire damage at P150,000.
In an interview, Figuracion told reporters that he suspected that faulty wiring or an unplugged phone charger caused the fire.
However, Abella said they could not yet confirm what caused the fire. He added  they were also determining the number of boarders renting rooms at the razed boarding house. /elb