Saturday, May 05, 2007 Fire eats up 122 houses in Ilang By Carlo Mallo
A TWO-hour fire razed 122 houses Thursday evening at Muslim Village in Barangay Ilang, Davao City, rendering an even bigger number of families homeless.
The Bureau of Fire Protection said the fire originated from the stockroom in the house of Antonio Arpa Sala at around 6 p.m.
Residents said the fire spread fast because most houses were made of light materials.
Elements of the Bunawan Fire Station, Chinese Fire Brigade, Buhangin Fire Station, Panabo Fire Station, Tagum Fire Station, and Toril Volunteer Fire Brigade immediately arrived in the area but the combustible materials the houses were made of caused the fire to spread faster.
Firemen declared a "fire out" only by 8 p.m.
The Bureau of Fire Protection is yet to finalize its investigation as to what caused the fire.
The worth of the damage has not been determined yet by the fire bureau.
A certain PO1 Villar of the Bunawan Police said hundreds of residents are now homeless and are temporarily housed at the Bunawan Elementary School.
"The houses are small, like huts, but each house is inhabited by more than one family, thus a considerable number of families are affected," Villar said. (With report from JAR)
