At least 300 houses have been destroyed by the noon fire that hit two sitios in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia, Mandaue City on February 29, 2020. | Norman Mendoza
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Barangay Ibabao-Estancia has declared two sitios affected by the fire under a state of calamity.
Barangay Chairman Romulo Echavez of Ibabao-Estancia said that the council had convened this afternoon and declared Sitios Ternate and Bayabas under a state of calamity after the fire destroyed at least 300 houses in these sitios.
Senior Fire Officer 1 Jade Roble, fire investigator of the Mandaue City Fire Department, earlier said that there were at least 320 houses razed by the fire.
Roble also estimated the damage to property at P2.4 million in the two sitios in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia.
Read more: Mandaue fire razes 320 houses; P2.4M property lost
Echavez, however, said that the estimated 300 houses destroyed by the fire and the number of fire victims had yet to be verified by the City Social Welfare and Services (CSWS) personnel.
Some of the fire victims take shelter at the gymnasium of Barangay Ibabao-Estancia, which is near the fire site. | Norman V. Mendoza
The CSWS personnel are making a list of the fire victims at the barangay gymnasium which is nearby the fire site.
Ibabao-Estancia road closed
Echavez also said they had closed vehicle traffic on G. Ouano Extension where they had set up tents for the fire victims on one side of the street.
He said this area would also be used to receive relief assistance, emergency vehicles station and for food distribution.
As Barangay Ibabao-Estancia officials and the CSWS scramble to help the fire victims, the Mandaue City government also issued an appeal to kindhearted Cebuanos to help these fire victims.
Read more: Mandaue City gov’t’s appeal: Help Ibabao fire victims
The CSWS and the barangay will be providing free meals to the fire victims at least for three days.
He said Barangay Ibabao-Estancia had a calamity fund of P1 million and 70 percent of this amoount could be used to help the fire victims.
Echavez also said that the fire victims were temporarily sheltered at the gymnasium of the Barangay Ibabao-Estancia and in tents set up along the closed road./dbs