BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – At least 27 houses were totally gutted while two others suffered extensive damage, displacing a total of 40 families, after a fire hit Purok Magnolia in Barangay 7 here late Thursday night, July 6.
Chief Inspector Stephen Jardeleza, fire marshal of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod, said their Lopez Jaena sub-station received a fire call around 11:09 p.m.
Jardelaza said the fire’s alarm status reached “3rd Alarm” requiring them to deploy any available firefighting equipment to the scene.
He added they initially encountered some difficulty entering the area as the streets were very narrow.
Jardeleza said the fire spread quickly since the houses were mostly made of light materials.
It took more than an hour for the firefighters to control the blaze, although around past 1:30 a.m. yesterday, a “fireout” was declared by the authorities.
Arson investigators revealed the blaze originated from the house of Richard Benjamin, although they have yet to determine what caused the blaze.
Some residents, however, claimed that an individual in the area was allegedly trying to either “inventing or experimenting” using car batteries.
Jardeleza said no one was killed in the fire, although one person suffered minor injuries.
The BFP-Bacolod added the fire left around P350,000 worth of damage./PN
