A fire in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City on December 25, has displaced hundreds of individuals, who temporarily stayed in the barangay’s gymnasium as shown in this December 25, 2021 file photo. |CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — More than P22 million worth of properties went up in smoke in Cebu City from 23 reported fire incidents from December 17 until December 31 or days after city got hit by typhoon Odette’s onslaught.
Senior Fire Officer (SFO1) Wendell Villanueva, Cebu City Fire Office (CCFO) information officer, said that the 23 fire incidents caused an estimated damage of P22,219,930.
Villanueva said that for the whole of December 2021, there were also 6 fire incidents prior to the fire incidents after Odette — bringing the total fire incidents of the month to 29.
He also said that these six fire incidents prior to typhoon Odette destroyed an estimated P1,364,000.
He also said that this meant that the total cost of damage for the month had reached P23,583,930.
Villanueva said that the cause of fire for most of these incidents were unattended lighted candles and the use of firecrackers.
The latest fire to hit Cebu City happened on Friday, December 31, at past 8 a.m. at Sitio Upper Capaculan, Barangay Tisa.
FO3 Emerson Arceo, CCFO investigator, said that the fire razed at least 20 houses in the sitio.
Arceo pegged the initial damage to property at P900,000.
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