IN A span of nearly 10 hours, two fire incidents happened in the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu in the past two days.
A four-storey building, ESPA, located on R. Landon St. in Barangay San Antonio, Cebu City was damaged by fire at 11:06 p.m. Sunday, April 4, 2021.
The estimate of the damage was pegged at P12 million. The building’s owner was identified as William Pavillar.
FO3 Emerson Arceo of the Cebu City Fire Department said Ricardo Marimon, one of the occupants, told him that he was asleep with his family when he was awakened by an explosion in the ground floor where an eatery and a water refilling station were situated.
Marimon brought his family to safety, and he later saw the flames engulf the building.
Firefighters had a hard time putting out the fire, which was raging inside the building. The fire did not spread to other buildings nearby.
The flames were put out at 12:52 a.m. Monday, April 5.
About eight hours later, four structures were destroyed by fire in Sitio Sewage, Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City on Monday morning, April 5, 2021.
The city fire department received the fire alarm at 8:50 a.m. Three minutes later, the first fire trucks arrived at the sitio.
At 8:57 a.m., the firefighters declared the fire under control which meant there was no threat that the flames would damage more houses and structures in the neighborhood.
Initial investigation showed the fire reportedly started in the eatery owned by Maribel Librando, 44. The flames then destroyed other structures, including a house for renters.
The cause of the fire was not yet clear on April 5.
The affected families and individuals were brought to the barangay’s covered court for their temporary shelter. Personnel of the City’s social welfare office already assessed their needs.
No one was hurt during the two fire incidents. (GPL, AST / KAL)