Fire razes 3 houses, damages 1 on Christmas Day in Cebu City

CEBU CITY, Philippines — It should have been a day filled with joyful celebration.

But it did not turn out to be that way for four families in Cebu City after they lost their homes to a fire a few minutes after midnight of December 25, 2019, Christmas Day.

The tragic Christmas Day fire razed three houses and damaged another one in Sitio Abbia, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City.

Fire Officer 2 Emerson Arceo, investigator of the case, told reporters that the fire started on the second floor of a three-storey house owned by a certain “Inday.”

Based on the reports from the residents in the area, they saw a spark from the house’s second floor, after which smoke came out from the house.

An explosion was heard.

By the time they noticed that there was fire, the blaze had quickly spread to the other houses.

Arceo said there was a power interruption before the residents saw the spark from the second floor of the three-storey house when power went back on.

He said this could have caused an electrical spark that could have possibly caused the fire.

But Arceo said they are still investigating the extent of the damage and the cause of the fire.

Arceo estimated the damage to property at P30,000.

One of the families who lost their homes, was Jennifer Wenceslao, 40, a street vendor.

She said they only heard the shouts of their neighbors and immediately fled the area.

They were not able to salvage anything from their house.

Wenceslao said she is not blaming anyone for what happened, adding that accidents can happen any time.

She was just sad that the fire happened on Christmas Day.

In the neighboring city of Mandaue, fire broke in Prince Warehouse Club in Barangay Alang-alang, three hours before Christmas Day.

READ: Christmas Eve blaze destroys Prince Warehouse in Mandaue City

/dbs & celr

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