Over 60 families were displaced by a fire that struck barangay Alang-Alang, Mandaue City (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
More than 60 families were displaced by a fire that destroyed 10 houses and damaged two others in sitio White Flower at P. Burgos St. barangay Alang-Alang, Mandaue City at past 1 p.m. yesterday.
No one was hurt and property damage was pegged at P260,000. Before Rosemarie Maloloy-on, owner of the two-story house where the fire originated took her two children out of the house, she warned her boarders to leave the burning building.
“Wala gyud ko kahibalo nganong nasunog, naay duha ka bata sa among taas pero wala ko kabantay kung nagduwa ba og kayo,” (I really don’t how the fire started, there were two kids upstairs but I’m not sure if they caused it),” Maloloy-on said.
She was unable to save anything else from the house.
Interior lot
The fire spread immediately to neighboring houses made of light materials.
The fire scene was located in the interior portion of a lot owned by the family of Alang-Alang barangay chairperson Mylene Sanchez.
The narrow passage made it difficult for firefighters to reach the area.
It took about 15 minutes before the first fire truck arrived, Maloloy-on said.
Assistance
Gemma Catipay, whose parents have lived in the area since the ‘50s, are wondering what to do next.
“Wala pa mi kahibalo kung makabalik pa ba mi og tukod sa among balay,” (We don’t know yet if we can rebuild our house),” the 25-year-old Catipay said. Aside from her two children, Catipay managed to recover her TV.
Her mother and aunts were not home when the incident happened.
The Mandaue Fire Station called for assistance from neighboring stations.
The whole stretch of Burgos St. and part of G. Ouano St. were closed to traffic.
Mayor Jonas Cortes ordered the City Social Welfare and Services to house the fire victims in a nearby gym and provide for their needs.
Sanchez called on the barangay council to convene in order to declare a state of calamity in their area in order to avail of their calamity fund.
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