About 20 houses and a church were destroyed by fire in sitio Laguna, barangay Cogon-Pardo, Cebu City at 6 a.m. yesterday.
Chief Insp. Rogelio Bongabong, Cebu City fire marshal, said the fire originated at the home of Junjun Paler where an overheated air-conditioner caught fire.
He said they will invite Paler to give his statement on the incident.
Property damage was pegged at P200,000.
Kenneth Ranque, 21, said he other members of the Church of Praise were attending a Saturday service when they noticed the fire at a neighbor’s house.
They quickly brought their musical instruments outside just before the fire reached the church.
“Naa tingali plano ang Ginoo sa simbahan namo (Maybe God has a plan for our church),” Ranque said.
Fire victims were taken to the barngay gymnasium which will serve as a temporary evacuation center, said Cogon-Pardo barangay chairman Harry Eran.
In Lapu-Lapu City, about 15 families or 80 persons were displaced by a fire that destroyed 10 houses in Zone 5 barangay Buaya, along the General Aviation road in Lapu-Lapu City at 1 p.m. yesterday.
SFO2 Atelano Berido, fire investigator of the Lapu-Lapu City Fire Department said the fire originated at an abandoned house owned by Franklin Ugsang.
He said a resident Joseph Sormida told them that there were children playing with matches inside Ugsang’s house. Traffic enforcers closed the road leading to the fire site.
The fire was put out at 1:36 p.m. No one was hurt. Damages were pegged at P250,000.