BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO and IAN PAUL CORDERO
ILOILO City – Fire totally gutted 12 houses and injured a man in Barangay Cubay, Jaro district a week after the New Year celebrations.
The fire started past 12 midnight yesterday. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) got a fire call around 12:58 a.m., according to Chief Inspector Cristopher Regencia, city fire marshal.
Most of the houses were made of light materials so the fire spread quickly.
Regencia identified the owners of the gutted houses as follows: Rosemarie Balayo, Maricar Hernandez, Rafael Hernandez, Richard Hernandez, Marites Palomita, Randy Candrio, Esperanza Castillo, Teresita Caceres, Annabel Bilbao, Gemma Bilbao, Susan Espino, and Reniel Hernandez.
Two other houses were partially damaged. They belonged to Rose Marie Sustento and Eva Juele.
The man who got injured was Ariel Valdemoro. He sustained first degree burns, according to Regencia.
The fire originated from the house of Balayog, particularly in the room being rented by Valdemoro, said Regencia.
Fire probers suspected a short circuit.
The BFP declared a “fire out” around 2:14 a.m. and estimated the damage to have reached P200,000.
The 34-year-old Annabel Bilbao, one of the house owners, was thankful she and her family –husband and four children – were unhurt but lamented they lost everything.
The Bilbaos were residents of Barangay Cubay for some 13 years already. Their house, though, was newly constructed.
It was completed just before the New Year celebrations, said Bilbao.
“Nanugonan kami pero wala kami mahimu-on kay natupok gid ang tanan,” she lamented.
Bilbao’s husband was a jeepney driver.
“Gin pangabudlayan ini tanan sang akon bana. Gabyahe jeep para lang makapundar sang balay namon,” she said.
The Bilbaos were already getting ready to sleep when the fire broke out. Annabel was able to secure only their rice cooker.
Esperanza Castillo, 77, said she was still wide wake when the fire struck.
“Nakapanimaho ako nga daw may nasunog. Abi ko may nagsunog lang sang basura pero pagbukas ko sa puertahan nakita ko gaibwal na ang kayo sa tupad balay namon,” Castillo said.
She roused her sleeping husband.
“Junior, Junior! Bangon! May sunog, may sunog!” Castillo narrated to Panay News.
They tried to save anything they could but the fire spread fast. They decided to just get out of their house./PN
