CEBU CITY, Philippines— The huge fire that broke out early morning of October 19, 2019 in Sitio Amor, Barangay Sambag 1 here affected a lot of individuals and families.
The fire damaged 32 houses and even claimed the life of a 14-year-old girl.
Read more: Cebu City fire claims life of a 14-year-old girl, razes 32 houses
Among the devastating stories of the fire was that of a man who not only lost his home, but also his beloved pet dog.
The story was highlighted when netizen John Niño Abanid, who lives near where the fire broke out, shared a heartbreaking photo of the man in tears after checking on the remains of his pet dog at the fire scene hours after the fire was put out.
IN PHOTOS: Scenes from the Sambag 1 fire
The 19-year-old communication student told CDN Digital through FB Messenger that he was just visiting the fire scene when he came across this man crying and looking at his dog’s remains still inside the cage.
“It was then that I remembered that he owned this beautiful pit bull,” says Abanid. “I was really sad seeing kuya crying and looking inside the cage.”
Read more: Cebu City fire damages sports center’s control room; games rescheduled
Abanid is familiar with the dog because he often passes by the area going to his school.
“My heart was crushed because I know how he loved his dog,” he added.
What hurts the most is the fact that the dog was the one who alarmed the family of the fire that day, according to Abanid, who spoke with the dog’s owner.
Abanid said the owners may have not been able to help save the pet dog since the fire started at the house near where the family lived and spread quickly. /bmjo