ILOILO – Fire struck a commercial building in Barangay Poblacion, Tigbauan town at around 11 a.m. yesterday, gutting 20 tenant stalls. Damage was estimated to have reached P18,744,000.
The fire started at a closed computer shop and quickly spread, according to Chief Inspector Vincie Jojo Aldeguer, provincial director of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The Parish of Tigbauan owned the commercial building located just across the town’s public market and it was renting out spaces to entrepreneurs.
From what BFP investigators so far gathered, the fire originated at the ceiling of the computer shop. What exactly caused it remained unknown as of this writing.
Of the 20 gutted stalls, five were totally damaged.
Fire fighters and trucks from nearby towns and Iloilo City helped the Tigbauan BFP personnel extinguish the fire.
A fire-out was declared at around 12:16 p.m.
Most of the fire-razed stalls were selling grocery items, thus the value of damage was considerable, said Senior Fire Officer 1 Revy Dacullo of BFP-Tigbauan.
Mayor Mayor Suzette Tenefrancia- Alquisada assured the fire victims of help. She was thankful there were no casualties.
“Aton gid na-apresyar ang bulig kag supporta sang nagkalain-lain nga bombero sa syudad kag probinsya sang Iloilo, pati man sang pribado nga sector,” said Alquisada.
During the recent Fire Prevention Month (March), BFP Region 6 disclosed it was looking to beef up its firefighting force.
Ideally, every fire truck should be manned by 15 firefighters; however, the bureau has not enough personnel. On the average, each fire truck in the region has 10 firefighters, according to Fire Senior Superintendent Jerry Candido, BFP Region 6 director.
So for now, what BFP-6 lacks in manpower it tries to make up by responding to fire calls as quickly as possible, said Candido.
“What’s important is madasig ang aton pag-respond,” he stressed.
Throughout the region, the fire bureau currently has 2,335 personnel.
“We are trying to solve the shortage by recruiting new personnel yearly. So someday basi makompleto nga 15 personnel per fire truck, the ideal number,” said Candido./PN
