SIBALOM, Antique – Fire investigators are still trying to assess the cost of damage to properties and the source of fire that charred a portion of Sibalom Public Market at around 1 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 25.
The conflagration lasted more or less five hours, destroying some rice retail stores and several stalls selling RTWs and slippers/flip flops, among others. No civilian was harmed in the incident.
According to a witness, Carlito Andrade, owner of a rice retail store that survived the fire, he was awaken early morning Friday by his helper who was sleeping inside their stall – more or less 150 meters from his house. They quickly took water from a jetmatic pump nearby and battled the fire with the help of several passersby who came from a cockfighting event.
Meanwhile, the people of Sibalom are grateful for the quick response of the Sibalom firefighters that prevented the fire from spreading further. Firefighters from the towns of San Remigio, San Jose, Hamtic and Belison also helped in battling the fire./PN
