Residents urged to be more careful in using appliances

Mandaue residents are advised to be more careful when using their electrical appliances and gadgets in their homes to prevent more fire incidents from happening in the city.

SFO4 Sherwin Porcia, Mandaue City Fire Department Fire Safety Enforcement Section chief, gave the advice after citing electrical short circuit as the most common cause of fires in the city in the first three months of 2015 and 2016.

The January 29, 2016 fire which destroyed 55 houses in Ibabao-Estancia, Mandaue City and killed a 6-year-old girl is an example of an electrical short circuit causing the fire.

The Mandaue Fire Department tagged an overheated electric fan as having started the fire.

Porcia said they will intensify and continue efforts to educate Mandaue residents on fire safety measures through seminars in the barangays.

Porcia said there were eight major fire incidents in the first three months of 2015 and this year.

He also cited the total worth of damages having doubled in this year’s fires as compared to the same period last year.

Based on the Mandaue City Fire Department’s records, last year’s damage to property caused by fire was estimated at P1,460,000 as compared to this year’s value of damages for the same period at P3,650,000.

Porcia said last March’s Mantuyong-Guizo fire’s damage to property alone was estimated at P2,435,000.

He added they were still investigating the cause of the Mantuyong-Guizo fire and were still looking into initial reports that a lamp overturned by a cat started the fire.

Aside from intensifying their fire safety seminars, Porcia also called on the public to cooperate in their fire prevention activities.

“Gipaningkamutan nato og mayo nga ma-minimize kining mga sunog. Bisag unsaon nato og educate and then ang mag tawo dili mocooperate…it must be a two-way process,” he said.