Sunday inferno on Mother’s Day

THE observance of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 9, 2021, in Cebu City was marred by three fires.

The first one happened at 6:41 a.m. in Sitio Caimito, Barangay Basak San Nicolas. It destroyed four houses and damaged three, displacing 10 families.

The fire reportedly started in the home of Aurora Malig-on.

The Cebu City Fire Department (CCFD) had the blaze under control at 7:06 a.m. It declared fire out at 7:19 a.m.

Damage estimates were pegged at P700,000. No one was reported injured.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

At 12:50 p.m., fire broke out in Sitio Seaside Alumnos, also in Barangay Basak San Nicolas.

FO3 Fulbert Navarro, CCFD investigator, told SunStar Superbalita they raised the fire alarm to second alarm.

He said the fire started in the house of Teodomero Echevarria.

The fire was under control at 1:55 p.m. and fire out was declared at 2:19 p.m.

The blaze P1.2 million worth of properties.

Navarro admitted that they had a hard time getting to the scene of the fire because the interior roads were narrow.

The fire razed around 100 houses. Almost all of them were made of mixed materials, causing flames to spread quickly.

Navarro said they had to ask for police assistance after they detected the presence of thieves, who stole wires from establishments in the area.

He said they are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Echevarria’s relative Andressa told the media that the fire did not originate in their house.

Andressa, a single parent, said she was disheartened that her family lost their home on Mother’s Day.

Navarro reminded homeowners to be extra careful, especially since it’s summer and temperatures are high. He said they should unplug appliances when not in use.

The third fire in Sunrise Village, Poblacion Pardo was reported at 3:47 p.m. A house owned by Serafin Dicdican was damaged.

FO3 Emerson Arceo said the fire started on the second floor. Fire out was declared at 4:06 p.m.

He said the damage was pegged at P30,000. (GPL / KAL)