Talisay fires: Swedish national dies, 3 fires hit city in 2 days

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The three Talisay fires that struck the city the past two days resulted in the death of a foreigner and the loss of close to P2 million in properties.

A 68-year-old Swedish national died during a fire incident that hit a two-story house inside a compound in Barangay Isidro, Talisay City, Cebu on Thursday evening, April 4, 2024.

The fire reportedly started at around 7:03 p.m. and firefighters arrived just 3 minutes later.

The victim was identified as Martin Ask, 68, a Swedish national.

READ: Talisay City fire: P3M worth of properties lost, 1 firefighter injured

According to a report from the Talisay City Fire Station, the blaze started in a two-story house owned by Jose Bas but was occupied by the Booc family.

The fire was raised to the first alarm at 7:06 p.m. and under control at 7:31 p.m.

Only four minutes later, fire officials declared a fire out.

The report revealed that the only house that was affected in the incident was totally burned down.

The total cost of damage to properties was pegged by authorities at P1,680,000. The fire affected only one family comprising 7 individuals.

According to Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Jerome Dolauta, Ask was bed-ridden and was trapped inside the room he was staying in at the time of the incident.

He added that an investigation is ongoing to determine what caused the fire that destroyed more than a million worth of properties and killed one individual.

READ: Around 400 lost homes after fire razes 2 sitios in Looc, Mandaue

A few hours later, a second fire was reported in another residential area in Sitio San Miguel, Barangay Linao, Talisay City.

At past 3:00 a.m. on Friday, April 5, two neighboring houses caught fire after a drunk man allegedly set it on purpose.

The accused was identified by his common law partner as 19-year-old Vince Niño Mendoza.

A neighbor of the couple, Mera Lagoras, told CDN Digital that she saw Mendoza walking near their house in the area at past 2:00 a.m. on Friday.

She said that Mendoza came to their house early in the morning looking for his former common law partner and her cousin, Harly Mae Alisoso.

She narrated that Mendoza flashed a light on them two times while they were sleeping not knowing that she was awake.

After failing to find his former partner, Mendoza allegedly left while Lagoras followed behind.

READ: Virtually, there’s a fire every day in Cebu City

Less than 5 minutes later, Mendoza’s house was already burning, she said.

A portion of a neighbor’s house was also reportedly affected by the fire.

She added that Mendoza has previously threatened to burn down his house saying that he will only have to spend 10 pesos to do so.

While the residents began to panic because of the flames, Lagoras said that she lost sight of Mendoza.

Alisoso, for her part, said that she and Mendoza always fight because of the latter’s gambling.

She added that Mendoza is also an illegal drug user and had a bad temper.

Alisoso narrated that they had another argument on Monday, April 1, which led him to strangle her until she passed out.

Mendoza allegedly wanted to retrieve her cellphone to stop her from asking help from her mother. She said that she last saw him on Monday.

READ: Cigarettes blamed for causing most of 3,044 fires in 2024 – BFP

Alisoso added that Mendoza has previously threatened to burn his house down. At the time of the incident, Alisoso and their child were sleeping at an acquaintance’s house nearby.

As of this writing, Talisay police are conducting an investigation and trying to locate Mendoza. 

A two-story house was gutted by fire in Barangay San Isidro Dawis, Talisay City at past 11 a.m. today, April 5. | Paul Lauro

Meanwhile, another house was burned in Barangay San Isidro, Talisay City at around 11:24 a.m. on Friday.

Fire officials raised the first alarm at around 11:27 a.m. as a total of 14 firefighters arrived at the scene to help in putting out te blaze.

At 11:33 a.m., officials declared a fire out on the blaze that damaged the hallway of a two story house owned by a resident identified as Jeffrey Basallo.

A report from the Talisay City Fire Station revealed that the fire started because of an unattended lighted mosquito coil.

Fortunately, no one was reported injured in the incident. The total damages were pegged at P2,000.

The three Talisay fires happened when Cebu was experiencing scorching temperatures.