Smoke engulfs the upper part of the high-rise condominium building in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City at the height of the fire on April 14. | Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines—It’s only the first 18 days of April but there have been at least 41 fire incidents here already.
Senior Fire Officer 2 (SFO2) Wendell Villanueva, spokesperson of the Cebu City Fire Office, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, said since April 1, they have responded to a total of 41 fires.
These include the recent fires that hit a 35-storey residential high-rise in Brgy. Kasambagan last April 14, and the latest, on Tuesday, involving the Pardo branch of a popular foam manufacturer.
READ: Fire breaks out in Kinasang-an Pardo, Cebu City
“There hasn’t been a day where we don’t respond to fires here in Cebu City,” said Villanueva in Cebuano during the OpenLine Media Forum.
According to Villanueva, out of the 41 fires they responded, 14 were structural fires.
Most of the fire incidents they reported were rubbish, grass and vehicular fires, he added.
In turn, the Cebu City Fire Official urged residents here to avoid burning rubbish as these too can contribute to larger and even deadly fires.
“Not only it is unlawful – we have a law that bans burning rubbish – but unless you have buckets of water ready to douse the flames, when you leave them unattended, it will likely result to even bigger fires that need our firefighters’ help,” Villanueva pointed out.
Last March, the Philippines kicked off the Fire Prevention Month.
According to Villanueva, the celebration also marks the start of ‘summer’ as fire officials anticipate more fire incidents to occur during the dry season.
“Due to extreme heat or hot weather, fire can spread quickly,” he said.
In turn, the Cebu City Fire Office reminds the public to be extra careful when dealing with fire as well as flammable materials.
“When we experience extreme heat, possible mahitabo mala kaayo atong kabtangan. Uga kaayo sa nga tanan so posibilidad, gamayng sipyat, magdaob or magspark, possible makadakop and dali mukatap,” Villanueva explained.
(When we experience extreme heat, it’s possible that things are very dry. Everything is very dry so there is a possibility that with a little mistake, it could start a fire and it could spread fast.).
/bmjo
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The dangers of fire: Common causes and tips on how to prevent it
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