113 families lose homes to noon fire in Cebu City barangay

‘CALVARY’ AT COGON PARDO

A volunteer fireman could only watch the fire razing one house after water ran out temporarily in sitio Manzanitas, barangay Cogon Pardo.
(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

What was supposed to be a joyous Easter Sunday celebration yesterday turned into a Calvary for residents of sitio Manzanitas located within the boundary of barangays Cogon Pardo and Inayawan, Cebu City.

About 44 homes were destroyed while six houses were damaged in a fire that struck the area at six minutes past noon.

There were 113 families or 492 persons that were displaced by the fire, Cebu City social workers said.

Firefighters had a hard time reaching the fire site because of  narrow access roads.

They were aided by residents and neighbors who dumped pails of water. The fire was contained  30 minutes later. There were no reported injuries.

Light materials

SFO2 Angelo Abellana said the fire originated from the woodcraft shop owned by Yolanda Dungog.

He said the fire spread to nearby houses that were made of light materials. Damage was  pegged at P200,000.

Social worker Portia Basmayor of Cebu City Hall’s Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) said they distributed food packs to the displaced families last night and will continue to provide meals for two more days.

Abellana said a certain Edgar Solitas whose house was located beside Dungog’s shop first noticed the fire.

He said restaurant and construction workers live in the area with their families. Abellana said they will invite Dungog for questioning today.

Calamity aid
It was reported that old wires got tangled up with new wiring at Dungog’s shop and caused  an electrical short circuit, Abellana added.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama called an emergency meeting after learning of the incident.

Cogon Pardo Barangay chairman Harry Iran convened the barangay council to declare a state of calamity in the area to  facilitate the release of the barangay’s calamity funds to the victims.

The declaration is also expected to secure approval for the release of the city government’s calamity aid to the displaced families.

About 73 fires were recorded in Cebu City from January to March this year.

Outbreaks
Last March 11, three fires hit sitios Ulap, Laguna and Bamboo Village in barangay Basak Pardo, Cebu City, destroying 177 homes and displacing 1,212 persons or 262 families.

The Bureau of Fire Protection’s provincial office recorded 156 fire outbreaks including the 73 fires in Cebu City from January to March.

SFO1 Marciano Gallano said they recorded 40 fires in January, 47 in February and 58 in March.

About 15 people and three firefighters were injured and the causes ranged from open flames, electrical short circuit and misuse.

Gallano said the biggest fire in Cebu this year occurred in Catmon town, northern Cebu last March 14.

Warm weather
The fire destroyed a commercial building, four houses and three vehicles with damage pegged at P1.8 million.

The warm weather from  the El Niño is also seen as a contributing factor  as evidenced by the spate of grass fires that hit Cebu City including a grassy portion of the South Road Properties (SRP) last month.

Engr. Alfredo Quiblat, chief of the Mactan office of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the highest temperature they recorded so far was 33.3 degrees Celsius last Black Saturday.

Quiblat said the temperature in Cebu had been rising since last Wednesday despite the arrival of typhoon Chedeng (international name Maysak) which mostly affected eastern Luzon.

He said the hot weather is caused by easterly winds originating  north of the Pacific in between Japan and Alaska.

Proper ventilation
“Nawa na ang Amihan, napulihan na og easterly o init nga hangin (The northwest wind is no more, it was replaced by the easterly wind),” Quiblat said.

The highest temperature recorded in Cebu was 37 degrees Celsius on May 31, 2007.

The Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) earlier reminded the public to unplug appliances that are not in use to avoid electrical short circuit and ensure proper ventilation of devices being recharged like smartphones to avoid overheating that may lead to fires.

Quiblat also advised the public to limit exposure under the summer sun to 20 minutes to avoid heatstroke and skin cancer.

People should wear light-colored clothes to keep cool and drink plenty of water to maintain hydration.