BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Ten houses were destroyed while four others suffered extensive damage when fire struck an informal settlers’ area in Purok Kitahanon, Barangay Banago on Thursday night.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) – Bacolod City, the fire started shortly before 7 p.m. in the house of a certain Jerry Villamor.
The fire quickly spread to neighboring houses which were mostly made of light materials, fanned by strong winds.
Resident Stephen Borromeo told Panay News he saw the blaze while fishing offshore in his boat. He immediately raced back towards the shoreline and found his house already ablaze.
Some of the residents even jumped into the sea to get away.
The BFP, along with several auxiliary and volunteer fire groups in the city, immediately responded.
The fire reached “second alarm status” requiring more than eight fire trucks to respond.
A “fire out” was declared shortly before 8 p.m.
No one was seriously hurt. BFP estimated the property damage at around P75,000.
Aside from the houses, several small fishing boats were also noted to have been gutted in the blaze.
The city’s Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD), meanwhile, reports a total of 10 families, comprising 32 individuals, who are presently sheltering at the nearby Purok Mahimulaton multi-purpose building.
Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez immediately visited the affected families on Thursday night, assuring the fire victims that they would be receiving aid from the city government.
Among the initial aid received by the victims yesterday morning include clothing, food supplies, and hygiene kits.
Arson investigators from BFP-Bacolod are still investigating the cause of the blaze, although based on claims given to Panay News by the victims, the fire may have been caused by an unattended candle./PN
