A resident of barangay Lorega San Miguel throws a pail of water on a burning house while fire volunteers sit on the roof waiting for water pressure.(CDN/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
A 4-month-old boy died in yesterday morning’s fire that destroyed more than ten houses in densely-populated barangay Lorega San Miguel, Cebu City.
Firefighters found the charred body of baby John Carlo Paragoso near a mattress in the second floor of the family’s house.
The father Ryan Paragoso, 27, said he panicked and ran out of the room, when fire broke out past 6 a.m.
The baby who was sleeping beside him was left behind.
Paragoso said he tried to get back inside but it was too late. The blaze had engulfed the two-story house.
Paragoso sustained a first-degree burn on his right foot in his attempt to go back inside his house.
His wife Joan, 26, ran out of the house with their two older children, aged 4 and 1. They had been sleeping on the ground floor.
Cebu City Fire Marshall Rogelio Bongabong estimated property damage at P150,000.
At least 125 people from 37 families were affected, said social workers of Cebu City.
The affected area yesterday is different from the area razed in March 2014. Some 7,000 people were left homeless then after an estimated 500 houses in eight sitios in the same barangay were destroyed by fire.
PANIC
Jessica Dughon, one of the tenants, said she woke up to the sight and smell of burning wire. As a precaution, she unplugged all the appliances inside her room.
She said she noticed that the light in the next room was flickering. She banged on the wall to rouse the occupants then jumped out the window .
“We panicked. We jumped because the fire had spread,” she said in Cebuano.
Paragoso said he was awakened by the banging on his bedroom wall. The room was on fire.
“Diretso na ko og barog pag mata nako. Wa na gyud ko kabantay (I immediately stood up when I awakened. I didn’t notice anything else),” Paragoso said. He was barefoot and wearing jersey shorts when he ran downstairs.
He said he was disoriented by the flames. When he remembered the baby left upstairs, he tried to go back but the fire was spreading rapidly.
The Paragoso couple owned the three-bedroom house on San Miguel St. corner Imus Ave. Two of the rooms were rented out, their only source of income.
CAUSE
The fire alarm was recorded at 6:32 a.m. and the fire was put out completely by 9 a.m. with almost all fire trucks in Cebu city responding.
The initial theory is that an electrical short circuit caused the fire but a full investigation still has to be made, said Cebu city fire investigator FO2 Lowel Opolentisima.
Fire victims were brought to the barangay sports complex, where they will stay and be given meals for three days by the city government.
City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, who was at the scene, said social workers will assess who are qualified to receive the P10,000-cash aid for owners of buildings, while sharers and renters will receive P5,000, the standard amount, and possibly construction materials.
“The mayor’s policy has always been that nobody should be displaced by reason of fire,” he said.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, who visited the area said the widening of San Miguel St. is part of the city government’s re-blocking program and was “long overdue.”
In last year’s fire, responders had a hard time reaching the area due to narrow access roads.
“We’ve been through this before. We are happy that not that many (were affected) compared to last time when they were wiped out,” he said.
Lorega barangay Captain Fritz Herrera said 15 to 20 houses, mostly made of light materials, were razed yesterday. /With reports from Multimedia Assistant Grace II P. Pecaoco and Correspondent Chito O. Aragon