State of calamity in Bakilid

A man carries whatever he was able to salvage from the fire that razed part of barangay Bakilid, Mandaue City Monday evening. (CDN P HOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)

The fire did not reach their house, but the anxiety and stress brought by the raging fire that left 106 families homeless in barangay Bakilid, Mandaue City, Monday night was too much for 63-year-old Herbato Heyrosa.

Paramedics tried to revive him. He was declared dead at the Mandaue City Hospital.
Heyrosa’s son Pablito, 35, said the family was busy trying to save what they could from their house when they noticed his father lying unconscious.

Pablito said he was carrying his paralytic mother to safety as the fire was getting bigger and moving towards them. When he returned, his father was already unconscious.

“We believed he suffered a heart attack,” said the son.

Heyrosa was carried by rescuers nearly a hundred meters away from his house where they tried Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) but he was no longer responding.

The fire did not reach Heyrosa’s house.

Two other fire victims were injured. Jun-Jun Grafe, 33, cut his palm when he broke jalousie blades of a a house window. Trifon Morales burned his arms after something exploded as he tried to gather his belongings and flee.

The 3,000 square-meter lot affected by the fire was owned by Sally Jayme.

She said not all afffected households can rebuild on site because the area will be re-blocked to establish wider alleys.

A state of calamity was declared by the barangay council to gain access to a P300,000 calamity fund.

Bakilid Barangay Captain Dionisio Villamor said this will be used to help fire victims rebuild their houses.

Social workers listed 106 households affected by the fire and left homeless, 46 house owners and 59 sharers/renters as of yesterday.

About 100 structures were burned. City fire marshal Joel Abarquez said the estimated property damage reached P4 million.

Fire investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

One of the causes being looked into is a mobile phone that was left unattended while being charged.

Assistance

The office of social welfare distributed ready-to-eat meals to fire victims yesterday morning at Barangay Bakilid Elementary School. Aside from the meals, they received kitchen utensils, mats and blankets.

Cebu’s 6th District representative Luigi Quisumbing also brought food packs and clothing.
He said Bakilid was his home Barangay for many years before he transferred across Norkis Company in barangay Tipolo.

Provincial Board Member Teddy Ouano promised the barangay council he would relay their concerns for aid to the Capitol.