Despite a narrow road leading to the crowded neighborhood, firefighters managed to put out the fire in sitio Pungsod, Lawaan III, Talisay City in less than an hour. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
TWO persons were injured when a fire burned down 100 houses and damaged 15 others in sitio Pungsod, Barangay Lawaan III in Talisay City at past 10 am yesterday.
The Talisay City fire occurred hours after a fire that broke in Lapu-Lapu City claimed the life of a widower from Leyte province.
In Talisay City, a woman went looking for her five-year-old nephew whom she believed was trapped inside their burning house.
But Randy Mendaros, Talisay City Fire Marshal, told Cebu Daily News that they didn’t find any charred remains of a boy which led them to believe that he escaped the fire.
Those injured were identified as Ariel Labaya, who sustained a first degree burn on his right arm as he tried to salvage his family’s belongings from the burning home and FO1 Calvin Klein Colawon, who stepped on a nail after the fire was put out.
Fire investigators initially said a butane explosion caused the fire but Mendaros said they invited a certain Fatima Colipano to shed light on the incident at 3 p.m. yesterday.
Colipano told Mendaros that the plug at the second floor of their house burned, causing the fire.
She said the plug was burning when she checked on her two children.
The Talisay City Fire Department received the alarm at 10:15 a.m.
Mendaros said the narrow road heading to the fire scene made it difficult for them to reach the fire site.
Mendaros said they were fortunate that neighboring towns and cities helped them. Damages were pegged at P400,000. The fire was put out at past noon.
At least 205 families were staying at the barangay’s gym.
In barangay Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu City, a 42-year-old man was found dead inside his house after he was trapped in a fire late last Sunday evening.
Joseph Terence Ybañez, a resident of sitio Mantalisay Barangay Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu City was found burned to death inside his room at past midnight yesterday.
FO1 Danilo Tipait, arson investigator of the Lapu-Lapu City Fire Central District said, they received the alarm at 11:40 pm last Sunday and sent two fire trucks in the area.
Ybañez’s neighbors tried to call his attention when flames swept through his house but Ybañez never heard them.
They believed that Ybañez was drunk and thus was unable to get out.
They said Ybañez used a kerosene lamp at his home after his connection was cut off. Damages were pegged at P5,000.