Lighted candle possible cause of Dec. 25 fire in Brgy Sambag 2
Several homes were damaged by the fire that hit Barangay Sambag 2 in Cebu City on Saturday, December 25. | Pegeen Maisie Sararaña
CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least P15.4 million worth of properties were damaged in a fire that hit homes and establishments located along J. Urgello Street in Barangay Sambag 2 (not Sambag 1 as reported earlier) in Cebu City, Saturday night, December 25.
Senior Fire Officer 1 (SFO 1) Riza Julve said the fire that lasted for more than an hour damaged 16 structures that included homes, a small clinic, and business establishments.
At least three individuals were also reported injured. They are Arthuro Salas Jr., 56, Guillerma Susmena, 84, and Gina Salaban, 42, fire investigator Julve added.
Salas suffered an abrasion on his knee while Susmena had a fracture on her left arm. Salaban, on the other hand, suffered second degree burns on her left cheek and a superficial bun on her forehead.
The Sambag 2 fire was the second to be reported in Cebu City on Christmas Day.
The first fire alarm that burned 39 homes was reported in Sitio Mansanitas in Barangay Tisa.
READ: Tisa fire was more than Typhoon Odette
Lawyer Gerry Carillo, chairperson of the Cebu City Disaster Council, said the fire displaced at least 52 families that consisted of 309 individuals.
Fire investigators continue to look into the cause of the Tisa fire.
Alburo said they are considering the possibility that a lighted candle caused the fire in Barangay Sambag 2.
The fire alarm was reported at 9:04 p.m. on Saturday. The fire was put out more than an hour later or at 10:44 p.m. It covered an area of 1, 036 square meters.
With parts of Cebu City and the rest of Metro Cebu still in the dark as a result of the power outage caused by super typhoon Odette, Chief Inspector Josephus Alburo, ground commander of the Cebu City Fire Office, is asking Cebuanos to always be very careful when using lighted candles.
“Ang kandila ug lampara ampingan. Ilayo gyud na sa mga bata. Gahapon hapit napod magkasunog kay kandila gidala sa cr gibyaan sa cr. kita nga mga ginikanan hopefully responsable ta sa pag remind sa atoang mga bata kay kung di nato bantayan ang mga bata basin unya atoang mga gamit usab pod ang maguba,” Alburo added.
The Cebu City Fire Office has so far received 30 fire alarms since the onslaught of #OdettePH on December 16. / dcb
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