ILOILO City – Fifty families in Barangay Taal, Molo district were left homeless by a fire that broke out late night on Monday.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the fire totally razed 29 houses; two were partially damaged.
The fire started at the house of Richard Aguilar around 9 p.m. and was caused by an electrical short circuit, said Fire Chief Inspector Christopher Regencia, city fire marshal.
“Fire investigators discovered that a telephone cable was used for an electrical installation. This was not appropriate. The cable melted because it could not handle the electric current that passed through it,” said Regencia.
The damage to property reached P900 thousand, according to the fire official. Most of the houses were made of light materials.
WATCH: During and after drone footages of the fire in Barangay Taal, Molo, Iloilo City32 houses were razed by fire that hit the residential area around 9 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019.Videos by Ivan Aguana
Posted by Panay News on Monday, January 14, 2019
Firefighters declared a fire out at 12:18 a.m. of Jan. 15, over three hours after the blaze started.
Regencia said firemen had a hard time reaching the fire scene due to the “one-way in, one-way out” road of the neighborhood.
Aside from BFP-Iloilo City fire trucks, those from the Federation Iloilo Volunteer Fire Brigade, Iloilo Citizens Action Group, and local government units of Oton, Leganes, Pavia, Tigbauan, and Santa Barbara in Iloilo province also helped put out the fire.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported that four persons sought medical attention due to injuries and discomforts – Xavier Ciudadano, 46; Lormel John Reynaldo, 41; Lorelie Claveria, 41; and Emma Magon, 87.
The displaced families temporarily stayed in four classrooms at Iloilo City National High School. The City Social Welfare and Development Office provided them with food: 50 sacks of rice; 750 cans of sardines; 750 cans of beef loaf; 750 cans of pork and beans; 750 cans of sausage; and 1,000 bottles of mineral water.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development regional office, on the other hand, distributed non-food items: “dignity kits” (towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo) and sleeping kits (sleeping mats and blankest)./PN
