Capitol Site fire damages P1.6M worth of properties, displaces 35 families

At least 27 homes were damage in the fire that hit Sitio Ipil-Ipil in Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City at dawn on Monday, December 27. | via Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Over a million worth of properties were damaged in a fire that was reported just at the back of the Cebu Capitol building in Barangay Capitol Site in Cebu City shortly after midnight on Monday, December 27.

At least two individuals were also reported injured. They are Eleazar Montimayor, 24, and Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Ariel Toron, 26.

Montimayor had a laceration on his right toe while Toron had a laceration on his left palm, according to Senior Fire Officer 1 (SFO1) Riza Julve.

In her report, Julve said, a lighted candle caused the fire that razed 27 homes and left 35 families consisting of 140 residents of Sitio Ipil-Ipil homeless.

Damage to properties was pegged at P1.6 million.

Julve said the fire alarm was reported at 1:49 a.m. and was put out at 3:52 a.m.

The fire was reported to have started at the residence of Rudy Pondar but fire investigators are yet to verify said information, Julve said.

Meanwhile, personnel of the Cebu City Fire Office (CCFO) has so far responded to at least 21 fire alarms that were reported from December 17, a day after Odette hit Cebu, until Monday, December 27.

Senior Fire Officer 1 (SFO1) Wendell Villanueva, CCFO information officer, said the number is somewhat high in comparison with the fire incidents that were reported during the same period last year.

However, he was unable to provide data on the fire incidents from December 2020.

Lighted candles is the most common cause of the fire incidents that were reported in the city this year, Villanueva said.

“Na alarma na gyud ang kabomberohan diri sa dakbayan sa Sugbo. Niining atoang nasinati nga halos kada adlaw nalang nga pagtubag ug pagresponde sa sunog. Common ang atoang cause, kandila,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva is asking Cebuanos to be careful when lighting candles at home and to make sure that these are placed in a safety place before they go to bed at night.

Various parts of Cebu City remain in the dark as a result of the power outage caused by Typhoon Odette.

At the same time, Villanueva is asking parents to discourage their kids from using firecrackers.

“Naa joy mga pipila nga magpabuto gyud ba, gahi gyud kaayog mga ulo no. Atoa ning gisubli nga pagpahimangno ang publiko, especially sa atoang pagsugat sa bag ong tuig nga kung mahimo, ay di gyud kung mahimo, buhata gyud ninyo nga di lang ta maggamit og mga fire crackers kay [for example] kanang kwitis, bisag asa raman na mutugpa unyag adto na mutugpa sa uga kaayo nga panimalay, mga gamit, musilaob nasad,” Villanueva said.

At the City Hall, Mayor Michael Rama said in a message which he delivered after the flag raising ceremony on Monday that he will prohibit the use of firecrackers here.

Rama is asking the police to arrest anyone caught lighting firecrackers especially during the New Year’s Eve celebration.

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