BARANGAY Ermita in Cebu City is under a state of calamity after a fire that left some 2,500 persons, almost 30 percent of its population, homeless on Monday morning.
Two children died in the fire that struck Sitio Kawit a few minutes before 6 a.m.
Cebu City Fire Marshall Nelson Ababon said that the parents of the children, Ida Alolod and Joel Digman, suffered from second-degree burns after the gas stove they used in their “pungko-pungko” business exploded.
They tried to save John Mark Digman, 2, and his sister Jovielyn, 9, but the two children were trapped.
“The fire started at the entrance of their house and that made it hard for the parents to get them out. The older one was found hugging the younger sibling to protect him from the fire,” said Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office Chief Nagiel Bañacia.
City Hall promised to help the Digman family and about 758 other families who survived the fire.
READ: Mayor vows to aid Ermita fire survivors, despite political hostilities: ‘They need help, period.’
“We had a hard time reaching the interior portion because some access areas had walls of the houses where only a single person can fit at a time. That’s why we used the ladders to climb on the top so that we can extinguish the flames,” Ababon said.
The fire quickly spread in the neighborhood, where most houses had been built of light materials.
Rexan Labrador, one of the neighbors, said that the children’s father asked for his help to rescue the two kids who were sleeping on the second floor of the house. John Mark was Labrador’s godson.
Firefighters arrived at the scene at 5:46 a.m. The blaze was classified as Task Force Alpha at 6:05 a.m. and Task Force Bravo at 6:24 a.m. The firefighters had the flames under control at 8:04 a.m. By then, the fire had damaged P1.5 million in property.
As of 4:05 p.m. Monday, the Cebu City Government recorded 759 displaced families or 2,500 individuals, and 302 gutted houses.
Fires killed 3 since Friday
All fire trucks from the Cebu City Fire Station, neighboring cities, towns and volunteers were summoned and rushed to the community to help.
The deaths of the Digman siblings meant that fires had killed three persons in Cebu in the last four days.
An 82-year-old widower died when a fire hit his bedroom in Daan Barrio, Barangay McArthur, Tudela, Camotes.
SFO3 Arnold Lao, the town’s fire station chief, identified the fatality as Pablo Enero, who was alone in the house.
The fire station received the alarm at 10:55 p.m. last Friday. Ten minutes later, the firefighters put out the fire.
Lao said the fire did not destroy the house, which was made of concrete and wooden materials. It had been rebuilt after super typhoon Yolanda in November 2013.
In Barangay Ermita’s case, the most immediate needs for now are food and water. Survivors also appealed for some clothes, toiletries, and construction materials.
Eddie Bulwan, 44, recalled that he was asked to report at Ida’s business around 4:40 a.m. to help her prepare and cook the food they would sell.
Eddie, a father of three, said he knew there was something wrong with the gas stove and had told the owners about it.
Councilor Ryan Jay Rosas, another fire survivor, said that Bulwan and his family were asked to stay in the barangay hall.
In an emergency session, barangay officials decided to use the sports complex and elementary school as evacuation areas, where trucks of water can be delivered to them.
Officials also declared a state of calamity.
“Magpabiling malig-on lang gyud. Sayod man ta kining tanan pagsuway ra, so kinahanglan di ta mawad-an ug pag-laom. Ipadayon lang gihapon kay ang Diyos ray nakabawo sa tanan (We just need to remain strong. We know this is part of life’s trials but that we mustn’t lose hope. We must keep on going. Only God knows everything),” said Barangay Captain Mark Rizaldy Miral.
He also lost his home in the fire. (JOB, KAL & Amale Nicole B. Juliano, CNU Intern)