2 fires hit Cebu City in 2 hours

IN LESS than two hours, two fires hit Cebu City yesterday, destroying a boarding house and damaging five other structures.

Since Fire Prevention Month started this March, a total of 13 fires in Cebu, including yesterday’s fires, have been recorded.

The Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) received the first fire alarm at 7:58 a.m. on J. Villa corner Juana Osmeña Sts. in Barangay Capitol Site. The blaze gutted the boarding house owned by Cedric Jesus Go.

AT 9:57 a.m., another fire struck in Barangay Kinasang-an, damaging the house owned by Felix Cabonellas. Damage, however, was minimal.

The first fire was under control after two minutes and was put out at 8:17 a.m.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, pending BFP’s investigation.

Cebu City Fire Marshall Anderson Comar said the BFP was able to respond immediately as the roads in the area were wide.

“Nothing blocked the open road, making it easy for fire trucks to penetrate the area,” Comar said in a phone interview.

Call center agents, students and nurses from a nearby hospital reportedly rented rooms in the boarding house that was burned down.

Charisse Lima, 24, one of the occupants, said she was one of the first few people who noticed the fire.

“I was inside my room when I saw the light in my room flicker. When I went out, I saw the fire,” Lima said in Cebuano.

She shouted for help, but the fire gutted the second floor of the boarding house. Four other houses were damaged.

“It seems the fire started on the second floor, since it’s the one that was totally burned,” added Comar.

At least 10 fire trucks including the neighboring fire departments, responded to the alarm.

Damage to the structures was pegged at P70,000.

The second fire partly burned the house of Felix Cabonellas in Paradise 2, Barangay Kinasang-an yesterday at 9:57 a.m.

According to fire investigator Loel Opolentisima, an unattended lighted lamp caused the fire.

Damage was pegged at P5,000.